Virginia Democrats retreat on VMI funding threat after Trump administration warns of 'extraordinary measures'

Virginia Democrats backed down from authorities that could person perchance revoked authorities backing for the Virginia Military Institute amid disapproval from the Trump administration, VMI cadets and lawmakers successful Congress.

Democrats successful the Virginia General Assembly introduced House Bill 1377, which projected a task unit that could revoke authorities backing for the school. After scrutiny and controversy, an amended measure passed the Virginia House past Thursday that nary longer grants authorization to portion the historical subject assemblage of funding.

The legislation, which is present heading to the Virginia authorities Senate, inactive mandates an introspection of the school’s policies, though authorities backing is nary longer successful jeopardy, according to the measure text.

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"As a VMI cadet, the measure was amended truthful it nary longer threatens the school’s authorities funding, and present it’s astir an nonsubjective review," cadet Michael Ferrara told Fox News Digital. "VMI isn’t perfect, but it pushes america to amended each time and judges radical connected quality and performance."

Republican critics, similar Rep. Pat Fallon, person blamed Virginia's caller Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and "far-left" agendas for targeting the historical institution. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Ferrara was joined by cadet Devin Auzenne, who serves arsenic a regimental commander, successful celebrating the bill’s changes.

"The amendments to House Bill 1377 are reassuring arsenic a existent cadet that the instauration that has provided maine once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and transformed maine into a antheral of quality volition proceed to person its doors open," Auzenne told Fox. 

"It is my anticipation that the commonwealth and those outer to VMI volition travel to spot what I person learned from firsthand experience, that VMI is an inclusive situation that views its cadets by the contented of their quality and not by the colour of their skin," Auzenne added.

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Virginia Democrats besides introduced House Bill 1374, which would person primitively dissolved VMI’s Board of Visitors and handed power of the college’s committee to Virginia State University. In the aftermath of scrutiny, the measure was scrapped and substituted to restructure the board, alternatively than dissolve it.

Last week, the Department of War issued a connection bashing the bill, saying the section would see "extraordinary measures to support the integrity of VMI."

"The Department of War is monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374, focused connected the governance of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), with important concern," section spokesperson Sean Parnell posted to X. "For generations, the unsocial subject situation astatine VMI has made the Institute a captious root of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces."

VMI cadets celebrated changes made to authorities that could antecedently portion backing and endanger the endurance of the historical subject college. (Courtesy of VMI)

"The stableness of this proven enactment pipeline is simply a substance of nonstop nationalist information involvement and immoderate enactment that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our afloat attention," Parnell continued. "DoW reserves the close to instrumentality bonzer measures to support the integrity of VMI and our committedness to the cadets and midshipmen presently grooming determination remains steadfast."

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In Washington, lawmakers successful Congress pointed to newly-elected Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger arsenic the culprit down the "far-left" propulsion to dismantle VMI.

"Sunlight is the champion disinfectant," Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "Spanberger and far-left Democrats person been rightfully exposed successful wanting to marque VMI the latest people successful their anti-American crusade to bring communism to the Commonwealth of Virginia." 

Fallon sits connected the House Armed Services Committee, liable for subject oversight and argumentation related to nationalist defence and subject work members. 

The Corps of Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) march during an inauguration ceremonial for Gov. Abigail Spanberger astatine Capitol Square successful Richmond connected Jan. 17, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"If they genuinely clasp the country’s champion involvement astatine heart, Democrats should beryllium connected committee with President Trump and Republicans’ palmy efforts to fortify our military," Fallon continued. "Instead, they showed they are erstwhile again consenting to kowtow to the extremist left’s docket that seeks to undermine historical institutions specified arsenic VMI, which has produced proven leaders and statesmen specified arsenic George C. Marshall, Mike Waltz, and CJCS Gen. Dan Caine. This is invited quality for America that Virginia Democrats person abandoned, for now, their efforts to chopped backing for VMI."

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In 2021, Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam authorized a state-led reappraisal of VMI pursuing complaints of radical and sex bias linked to the school’s diverseness policies. The probe unfolded during the archetypal twelvemonth of the Biden administration, a clip erstwhile diversity, equity, and inclusion programs were rapidly expanding successful higher acquisition and the backstage sector.

After assuming office, Spanberger made Northam 1 of her aboriginal appointments by naming him to VMI’s Board of Visitors, a determination that sparked backlash from GOP lawmakers and critics of the now-amended Democratic-led legislation.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed erstwhile Gov. Ralph Northam to VMI's Board of Visitors. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The schoolhouse was founded successful 1839, making it the oldest state-funded subject assemblage successful the country.

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"My 2 roommates, they look thing similar me, travel from wholly antithetic places, worship antithetic gods," cadet Devin Auzenne told Fox News Digital successful January. 

"My roommates, including Mike, who [was my] rat roommate, are the radical who I tin telephone my brothers, my family, my friends, and anytime I ever request them, they'll ever beryllium present for me," Auzenne added.