Trade school advocates cheer as Trump threatens to redirect Harvard federal funds
Construction company owner says funding trade programs helps address housing shortage while teaching valuable skills
Trump weighs plan to reallocate Harvard funds to trade schools: 'Great investment'
Jarod Coffman of Coffman Construction weighs in on President Trump's consideration to give Harvard funding to trade schools and the fading stigma surrounding trades.
President Donald Trump's threat to strip Harvard of billions in grants and give the money to trade schools is receiving praise from some trade enthusiasts who say it's time for the non-traditional college route to have its moment in the sun.
"Right now, homes in the United States are the most expensive they've ever been, and I can also personally attest to the fact that trade education and the skilled labor that's actually building these houses is the least educated they've ever been. We are at a little bit of a turning point where there are schools starting to re-implement trade programs into them, which is good, but a lot of them are facing budget issues, so actually I could really see this being a beneficial thing," Jarod Coffman, owner of the Colorado-based business Coffman Construction, told "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday.
Coffman's philosophy is that the best way to teach students to build a home is to actually have them build a home, and he says Trump's rhetoric could be "influential" for change.
He pointed to an example of a nearby school which has subdivided a plot of land that is partially used to build an actual home with students each year. He said funding such programs kills two birds with one stone – helping to mitigate the housing shortage while teaching students a new skill.
TRUMP FROZE FUNDING FOR HARVARD. MONEY TO THESE UNIVERSITIES MAY ALSO BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Harvard University has been in the Trump administration's crosshairs amid antisemitism allegations and concerns over radicalized students. (Scott Eisen / Getty Images)
"You're helping provide to the actual housing deficit and the fact that we need more houses on the market while doing them at a cheaper rate because you are doing it with the schools, but then also being able to teach the students more effectively all at the same time," he said.
"Blue Collar Cash" author Ken Rusk agreed on "Fox & Friends," telling the co-hosts on the curvy couch that going to trade school gives students the opportunity to learn something that benefits the country.
"We're witnessing the revolution of common sense, right?" he told guest host Charlie Hurt.
"I mean nobody that's trying to pay their gas bill or buy groceries or pay their mortgages… is shedding a tear for the top 20 or 30 schools… No one's shedding a tear when someone tries to pull some of this money back, because most of us are saying, 'Why are we giving this money to these places to begin with when they're loaded with the ability to do some of these things on their own? It's really a shame."
Both guests were pleased to see the stigma surrounding trade labor lifting.
TRUMP ACCUSES HARVARD OF BEING ‘VERY SLOW’ TO TURN OVER FOREIGN STUDENT INFO
Trump idea to reallocate Harvard funds to trade schools receives praise: 'Revolution of common sense'
'Blue Collar Cash' author Ken Rusk weighs in on President Trump's idea to reallocate Harvard funds to trade schools.
The Trump administration has been warring with the elite institution over alleged failures to adequately address antisemitism and made additional threats amid a foreign student records dispute.
The administration requested that Harvard present information on foreign students and other materials amid "radicalization" concerns.
Harvard did not respond to Fox News Digital's previous request for comment on the matter.
Harvard President Alan Garber insisted during an NPR interview broadcast on Monday, that redirecting the funds would benefit neither the university nor the public.
"The money that goes to research universities in the form of grants and contracts, which is almost all of the federal support that we get, is used to pay for work that we perform at the behest of the government," Garber said.
"So, in reallocating to some other use, including trade schools, it means that work just won’t be performed," he said. "So, the right question is, is this the most effective use of federal funding? Do you really want to cut back on research dollars?"
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"I'm less concerned about whether it goes to a trade school or if it goes to some other project, like working on highways. The real question is, how much value does the federal government get from its expenditures on research? There is a lot of actual research demonstrating the returns to the American people have been enormous," he added.
Harvard filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts over the termination of the student visa program early Friday.
In its court filing, Harvard said the revocation impacts more than 7,000 visa holders – more than a quarter of its student body – and "is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act."
"It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students," the lawsuit says.
Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
