Elite Universities’ Lobbying Spikes as GOP Eyes Tax Hikes

Ivy League colleges, elite universities and other higher education groups hiked spending on lobbying last year, as Republicans push to expand the taxes levied on their multibillion-dollar endowments.

Universities and others spent at least $8 million in 2024 lobbying Congress and administration officials on endowment tax and other issues, according to federal disclosures. Spending associated with filings that mentioned endowment-related issues, along with other topics, doubled from 2023, according to a Bloomberg Tax analysis.

The 2017 GOP tax law established a 1.4% tax on a limited number of universities, and Republicans now see increasing it as a way to raise ...