Five Congressional Republicans from Virginia are sounding the alarm on a set of bills winding their way through the state legislature that seek to create controls over the Virginia Military Institute that critics say could destabilize the college and create a troubling state-overreach precedent.

The GOP lawmakers sent a letter March 5 to President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, asking the administration to step in and address the controversy, as the bills have made significant headway in recent months.

They argued that the Virginia state legislature does not necessarily have the authority for such oversight measures of VMI, one of six senior military colleges governed by Title 10, the federal law governing the armed forces.

The GOP lawmakers wrote that if a state legislature can unilaterally restructure a federally recognized senior military college, that precedent could apply to the other five operating under Title 10, which risks
“weakening the uniform federal framework that governs officer development across multiple
states and institutions.”

The memo states:

“Two bills advancing in the Virginia General Assembly — HB1374 and HB1377 — collectively restructure the governance of VMI and establish a legislative task force empowered to examine, evaluate, and potentially recommend changes to its military training model, governance framework, and officer-producing role.”

“HB1374 alters the composition of the VMI Board of Visitors by capping alumni representation or eliminating it entirely. It also significantly reshapes the appointment criteria from that which served the Institute for over 187 years. HB1377 establishes a task force authorized to study VMI’s educational and institutional practices, including its military training and commissioning function.”

However, due to concerns, HB1374 has been amended to retain up to eight board members as alumni.

VMI Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Furness in mid-February testified in favor of the amended HB1374, stating it keeps VMI’s Board of Visitors intact and provides “experienced, non-political oversight.” The institution in early February also came out in favor of HB1377, stating: “While no institution is perfect, VMI is open to improvement in our constant pursuit of excellence.”

According to critics of the bills, the Democratic-controlled legislature in Virginia hopes the legislation will help roll back significant reforms at VMI made in recent years to quash diversity, equity and inclusion at the venerable institution and reinstall meritocracy there.

What’s more, the bill that seeks to block alumni involvement seems to be a direct response to the college’s active alumni groups that successfully helped oust administrators who championed DEI.

U.S. Republican Reps. Ben Cline, Morgan Griffith, Jen Kiggans, John McGuire and Rob Wittman signed the letter to Trump and Hegseth.

“Virginia Military Institute is one of the most cherished and storied academic institutions in our Commonwealth and has shaped generations of young men and women who have gone on to serve in our Armed Forces. 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 stated in a news release.

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