NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A Republican Tennessee lawmaker clarified a statement he recently made on a radio show that says he supports getting rid of higher education because he argues it would cut off the “liberal breeding ground.”
Sen. Kerry Roberts of Springfield called for eliminating higher education while speaking about attending a recent abortion legislative hearing on his conservative radio talk show on Sept. 2.
Roberts specifically called out one activist who testified in favor of protecting abortion rights. He asserted without evidence that the woman’s beliefs were a “product of higher education” and claimed that getting rid of higher education would “save America.”
Roberts also questioned funding higher education with tax dollars. He voted in favor of the state’s $38.5 billion budget earlier this year, which included money for colleges and universities.
On Tuesday, he said in a statement that the call for eliminating higher education was “clearly hyperbole,” but he stands with his general critique of liberal arts education in America.