Why is the onus on the administration?
So taxpayers should continue funding institutions that refuse to obey the terms set to receive the funds because it will have a negative effect on a few grad students at elite universities?
They are not “defenseless”, they have undergrad degrees and they can go to work like the taxpayers do.
Or, it the studies have actual value, the universities can dig into their multi-billion dollar tax-free endowments and fund them.
Let the universities guarantee their own loans as well. Too many kids with too much debt and largely worthless degrees anyway.