Alarmed over President Trump freezing billions of federal dollars from Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and seeking retribution against FBI agents he fired because they investigated the January 6 insurrection, Representatives Danny Davis (D-7th) and Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8th) called on voters to “fight back” to save our democracy.
The legislators were referring to Trump freezing $1 billion in federal funds to Cornell University and $790 million to Northwestern University. Both institutions are being investigated by the Trump administration for their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
Davis and Ford are also alarmed over Trump’s seeking retribution against former and current FBI agents he fired or targeted for their investigations into the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The agents filed a class action lawsuit in February 2025 to block the Department of Justice from gathering a list of 6,000 FBI agents for potential firings or disciplinary actions.
After Trump’s January 20, 2025, inauguration he pardoned or commuted the sentences of those who were convicted and imprisoned for their actions on January 6.
Davis said he is the primary promoter of Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs) a designation for about 75 schools including in Illinois, Chicago State University, Olive-Harvey College, Kennedy King College, Malcolm X College, South Suburban College, and Robert Morris University Illinois formerly Robert Morris College.
The schools with the PBI designation must have a 40 percent Black enrollment with an equal percent low-income status.
“We are seriously involved in education,” Davis said.
Asked his opinion about Trump freezing educational funds because of his executive order banning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, Davis said, “Trump seems to have a direct target on Illinois, against Black people in particular, including any affirmative action activity that is designed to help African Americans overcome the impact of slavery and Jim Crow.”
Davis was referring to Illinois being a blue state where Trump received 2,441,030 votes, or 43.9 percent of the vote vs. Harris’ 3,038,725 or 54.6 percent of the vote during the 2024 presidential election. Davis said blue states are being treated differently than red states.
“These politically partisan decisions of rolling back what has been the will of the Congress is just unbelievable,” said Davis.
“After Congress has gone through the very deliberate process that it uses, then here comes the president overturning the ruling and upheld by the Supreme Court,” giving Trump the green light to override the legislative process. Davis said Trump’s administration is researching ways to hurt Illinois but “we will fight it. We will survive it.”
Representative Ford told the Chicago Crusader that Trump freezing funding to the universities is troubling and that “removing race-based scholarship programs not only puts Black students at a disadvantage but also hinders our nation’s overall progress.”
“Stepping back from initiatives designed to support historically marginalized communities undermines decades of efforts toward equity and inclusivity. This jeopardizes the diverse perspectives and innovations that are essential for America’s future,” said Ford.
Lately, Trump has been socked with several court losses, including one delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Loren AliKhan. On Tuesday, April 15, she issued a temporary restraining order barring the federal government from doing business with anyone who hires the Susman Godfrey law firm which once represented voting machine company, Dominion Voting systems, which won a $787 million settlement from Fox News over the network’s false claims about the 2020 U.S. election.
“The framers of our Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power,” said Judge AliKhan referring to Trump’s executive order that accused the law firm of engaging in “egregious conduct” and “spearheading efforts to weaponize the American legal system and degrade the quality of American elections.”
She was referring to Trump’s claim that he won the 2020 election even though he never presented any proof of that ongoing allegation.
The main thesis of Trump’s executive order dealt with Susman’s diversifying his workforce which he descried as “unlawful discrimination perpetrated in the name of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.”
Unlike some firms that settled, agreeing to provide free legal services for causes aligned with Trump’s agenda, Susman and three other firms challenged the order in court.
Judge AliKhan said on Monday, April 14, that Trump’s actions were “based on a personal vendetta against a particular firm.”
However, Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson said in a statement, “American taxpayers should not fund lucrative contracts with law firms whose actions harm national interests. These recent measures address rogue law firms and fulfill his commitment to holding bad actors accountable.”
It is the fourth time a court has ruled against Trump’s efforts to punish legal firms that work on issues counter to his agenda, efforts which Davis and Ford say are constitutionally illegal.