Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) on Sunday stood by his previous comments praising Hungarian President Viktor Orbán for his regulatory crackdown on Hungarian universities and said the United States should embrace similar thinking. Stated.
Mr. Orban has changed the face of higher education as part of his anti-democratic reforms, including changes to the country’s judicial system and constitution. regulated In recent years, governments have gained more control over what is taught.
“The fact is, what we’re seeing in the United States is that universities are being controlled by left-wing foundations. They’re not being controlled by American taxpayers,” Vance said Sunday, according to Margaret Brennan. In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Mr. Brennan pressed Mr. Vance for his support, asking Mr. Vance directly whether he wanted the federal government to directly control education, as in Hungary.
“What I’m advocating for is taxpayers having a say in how their money is spent. College is part of the social contract in this country,” Vance said. “They educate our children. They produce important intellectual property. They make a lot of money because of it.”
“But if they’re not educating our children well and piling up mountains of student debt on the next generation, then they’re not fulfilling their purpose in the deal.” he continued. “I think it’s perfectly reasonable to say that there needs to be a political solution to that problem.”
The senator also distanced himself from some of President Orban’s anti-democratic reforms. The Hungarian leader is a rising star in American conservative politics, frequently attending the Conservative Political Action Conference and an ally of former President Trump.
“Well, look, I don’t support everything Viktor Orban has ever done. I don’t know everything he’s ever done.” Vance said. “What I think is the principle of universities, universities, the idea that taxpayers should have some influence over how money is spent in universities. That’s perfectly reasonable. And I think that he I think they made some smart decisions, and that’s something we can learn from the United States.”
Mr. Vance is seen as a finalist to be Mr. Trump’s running mate, and his profile has increased in recent months. Last week, he walked back previous criticism of the former president and became one of his closest allies in the Senate.
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