George Mason University hosts three Koch-funded institutes that are actively undermining public health and environmental policy. These programs must be removed from the campus immediately. A public institution should not serve the corporate interests of its donors.

The Mercatus Center is using the university’s name in its promotion of misinformation about Medicare for All. It has served as one of the leading forces of climate change denial in the nation for years. Currently the Mercatus Center is using the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage the permanent rollback of regulations. The Law & Economics Center has spent decades pushing a pro-corporate doctrine onto state and federal judges through its “seminars.” In line with the Koch Network’s campaign to criminalize student protest, the Institute for Humane Studies is working to equip conservative academics across the country with resources to undermine student activists who are organizing against white supremacist speaking tours.  

These tactics are not new. Corporations have long used think tanks, academic institutions, and nonprofits to boost their own profits by spreading misinformation, and pushing for harmful policies.

We cannot allow the Koch network to continue using George Mason University’s name and reputation to bolster its pursuit of a policy agenda focused on halting action on the climate crisis, weakening public education nationwide, and stripping rights and keeping wages low for workers.

Tell George Mason University to remove all of its Koch-funded programs from campus NOW!