'Orwellian:' GOP congressman publicly hits back against Stephen Miller

U.S. Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) recently celebrated Massachusetts Institute of Technology's decision to reject a deal from the Trump administration, leading to a public dispute with Stephen Miller.

Raw Story reported on the MIT's initial statement saying it cannot support the Trump admin's plan. That led Massie to reply with, "The surest way to screw up the world’s best technical school is to let feds tell them how to run it... Congrats to my alma mater for turning down a bribe to let the executive branch dictate what happens on its campus."

Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna shared Massie's comment, calling his GOP counterpart "is brilliant."

"The guy programmed by himself a gadget with a running tally of our national debt," Khanna said. "Maybe it's because he went to MIT with meritocratic admissions and no donor or alumni legacy. Let's not have DC mess MIT up."

Trump adviser Stephen Miller chimed in on that post, writing, "MIT is a federally funded and financed institution. The US government asked MIT, as one of America’s largest recipients of taxpayer dollars, to certify that students and professors will be hired based on objective merit and not skin color."

"What precisely is your objection here?" Miller asked.

Massie himself then responded to Miller.

"Undergrad tuition is privately funded at MIT with a few exceptions like Pell grants which apply to all colleges," Massie wrote. "I trust MIT more than any party at the White House to know which 18 yr olds can solve differential equations. Also, Feds policing speech on campuses is Orwellian."

Undergrad tuition is privately funded at MIT with a few exceptions like Pell grants which apply to all colleges.

I trust MIT more than any party at the White House to know which 18 yr olds can solve differential equations.

Also, Feds policing speech on campuses is Orwellian.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 12, 2025