Virginia’s Congressional Republicans Urge Trump Admin to Review Legislation to Tighten Oversight of VMI

Five Republican lawmakers in Virginia’s congressional delegation on Friday sent a letter to President Donald Trump’s administration, warning that bills the Democratic-controlled legislature is advancing could interfere with the Virginia Military Institute’s governance and operations.

The lawmakers asked federal authorities to review the legislators’ actions concerning the state-sponsored institution, which has drawn recent scrutiny from legislators, alumni, and the public over concerns about alleged racial discrimination and a non-inclusive institutional culture.

Bills targeting VMI governance gain traction in General Assembly

The Republican lawmakers wrote to Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that the changes could also affect VMI’s role as a federally recognized senior military college, and its training pipeline for U.S. military officers.

U.S. Republican Reps. Ben Cline of Botetourt, Morgan Griffith of Salem, Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach, John McGuire of Goochland, and Rob Wittman of Westmoreland signed the letter.

“As a veteran and VMI Mom, I am deeply concerned that the Virginia General Assembly has taken legislative action to completely reshape the fabric of this institution to fit their ideological ambitions,” Kiggans said in a separate statement.

“I stand with my Republican colleagues and VMI alumni from across the country in condemning these actions and call for the egregious state over-reach from Richmond to end.”

Three bills, sponsored by Dels. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, and Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, are at the center of the Republicans’ ire.

Helmer’s House Bill 1377 would establish a VMI task force to examine higher education at VMI, and review the institution’s response to a 2021 third-party investigation, which found “it is and was common experience to hear racial slurs among VMI cadets, including use of the n-word” and substantiated reports of sexual assault and gender discrimination at the school, among other issues.

Helmer’s measure also calls for the task force to explore measures VMI has taken to distance its culture from the Lost Cause, which romanticized the South’s defeat in the Civil War, and promote an inclusive environment. The task force’s findings would be due by the start of the next legislative session.

HB 22, also by Helmer, would ensure that VMI students who report acts of sexual violence receive the same disciplinary immunity as students at other public universities, aligning VMI’s policies with standard practices.

Lastly, Feggans’ House Bill 1374 would alter the composition of the 17-member VMI board: the maximum number of alumni would decrease from 12 to eight, and the minimum number of non-alumni would increase from four to six, effective July 1.

Feggans’ bill was amended after its introduction in January. In its original form, it would have dissolved VMI’s governing board and transferred oversight to Virginia State University’s Board of Visitors.

The legislative proposals also follow the governing board’s decision not to renew the contract of Ret. General Cedric Wins, the institution’s first Black superintendent. Wins said that the decision “was not based on my performance or the tangible progress we achieved. It is the result of a partisan choice that abandons the values of honor, integrity, and excellence upon which VMI was built.”

In their March 5 letter to Trump and Hegseth, lawmakers argued that if the bills are successful, they would usher in changes dependent on partisan ideology that could impact national defense interests.

“If a state legislature may unilaterally restructure, politically condition, or subject a federally recognized Senior Military College to recurring review of its military mission, that precedent could apply equally to every SMC operating under Title 10,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Such actions risk weakening the uniform federal framework that governs officer development across multiple states and institutions.”

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the letter and if the administration plans to intervene when it comes to VMI.

The General Assembly will adjourn on Saturday, after which the governor will review all legislation that has passed both chambers and either approve, reject or amend them.

Trump administration and Virginia institutions

While it’s uncertain if the request made by lawmakers will be taken up, the Trump administration has recently ramped up its attention to Virginia’s institutions in relation to educating senior military officers.

According to a Feb. 27 memo from Hegseth, the administration is considering several institutions to partner with to expand the Senior Service College Fellowship program, responsible for educating senior military officers. He named Virginia Tech, along with Liberty and George Mason universities, as possibilities.

Hegseth wrote in the memo that several institutions, including the College of William & Mary, have failed to “sharpen our leaders’ warfighting capabilities” and have “undermined the very values they are sworn to defend.”

George Mason is also one of two Virginia institutions that have been the subject of a federal investigation dating back to last year, as part of the administration’s broader crackdown on universities’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

DEI programs are designed to address historic and existing inequalities, while creating fairer opportunities for everyone. Critics say the policies focus too much on identity traits like race or gender and are divisive.

George Mason faces four civil rights investigations tied to its DEI initiatives, its employment practices, and treatment of students, as well as a separate probe into alleged antisemitism on campus. The school has cooperated with the probes and maintains that its practices are legal and fair.

The federal government also accused the University of Virginia of violating civil rights laws in its admissions, hirin,g and DEI programs, and claimed its campus culture was inhospitable to Jewish students. UVA leaders refuted the claims, but in October, they signed an agreement with the federal agency to suspend the probes.

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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