The Trump administration says it is monitoring proposed Virginia legislation that would create a task force to review continued state support for the Virginia Military Institute and, separately, transfer oversight away from VMI’s current governing board. Virginia Democrats backing the measures cite longstanding concerns about the school’s campus culture and ties to Confederate symbolism, while VMI supporters warn the bills could undermine the state-funded military college’s future.
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), founded in 1839 and widely described as the nation’s oldest state-supported military college, is facing renewed political pressure in Richmond as Virginia lawmakers debate proposals that would increase state oversight of the Lexington-based school. (vmi.edu)
Two measures are at the center of the dispute.
- House Bill 1377 would establish a state task force to evaluate whether VMI should continue as a state-sponsored institution. Legislative coverage in Virginia has described the proposal as a review of whether the school should continue receiving public funding. (virginiamercury.com)
- House Bill 1374 would dissolve VMI’s Board of Visitors and transfer oversight to the Board of Visitors at Virginia State University, according to reporting by the Virginia Mercury and accounts of the bill’s intent. (virginiamercury.com)
The debate comes after Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who took office in January 2026, moved quickly to reshape leadership across Virginia’s public university boards, including appointing former Gov. Ralph Northam to VMI’s Board of Visitors. (washingtonpost.com) Northam, a VMI alumnus, previously ordered a state-commissioned investigation into VMI’s treatment of minority students; a 2021 state report found the school tolerated “institutional racism and sexism,” prompting years of policy and leadership turmoil. (washingtonpost.com)
Democratic supporters of the new legislation have argued that VMI’s history and campus symbols remain a barrier to progress. The Daily Wire reported that Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, said during a Monday subcommittee meeting that VMI must move beyond “ghosts of the past,” in remarks tied to the school’s Civil War-era legacy and campus buildings named for Confederate figures. (dailywire.com)
Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, has also pointed to VMI’s leadership decisions, citing the board’s vote not to extend the contract of then-Superintendent Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, the school’s first Black superintendent. Associated Press reporting in 2025 said the board voted 10–6 not to extend Wins’ contract, and that he was set to step down in June 2025. (apnews.com)
In Washington, The Daily Wire reported that Sean Parnell, identified as the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said Tuesday that the administration was monitoring the Virginia proposals, singling out HB 1374 “with significant concern.” In comments the outlet attributed to Parnell, he said the “War Department reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI,” and urged Virginia lawmakers to consider implications for military readiness and the federal government’s investment in the school. (dailywire.com) (The Department of Defense is commonly referred to as the Pentagon; the U.S. War Department was abolished in 1947.)
The Daily Wire also cited remarks it said were made by cadets defending the institution’s record and campus climate, including a VMI student, Michael Ferrara, who told Fox News in late January that VMI alumni include “approximately 300 generals and flag officers,” “seven Medal of Honor recipients,” “11 Rhodes Scholars,” and “one Nobel Prize winner.” The Daily Wire further quoted another cadet, Devin Auzenne, describing VMI as “the most inclusive environment” he had experienced. Those specific claims and quotations could not be independently confirmed from the other sources reviewed. (dailywire.com)
