Vance doubles down on Viktor Orban’s crackdown on Hungarian universities.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) praised Hungarian President Viktor Orban on Sunday for his regulatory crackdown on Hungarian universities, endorsing previous comments he made saying the United States should adopt a similar mindset.

Orbán has changed the way higher education is regulated in recent years as part of anti-democratic reforms that include changes to the country’s judiciary and constitution, giving the government more control over what is taught.

“What we are actually seeing in the United States is that universities are being controlled by left-wing foundations. They are not controlled by American taxpayers,” Vance said Sunday in a CBS “Face the Nation” interview with Margaret Brennan.

Brennan urged Vance to give him his support, asking Vance directly whether he wanted the federal government to take direct control of education, like in Hungary.

“What I advocate for is for taxpayers to have a say in how their money is spent. “Colleges are part of this country’s social contract,” Vance said. “They educate our children. They produce important intellectual property. Thanks to that, I get paid a lot.”

“But if they don’t educate our children properly and saddle the next generation with mountains of student loan debt, they’re not achieving their goal,” he continued. “I think it’s entirely reasonable to say that we need a political solution to that problem.”

The senator also distanced himself from some of Orban’s anti-democratic reforms. The Hungarian leader is a rising star in American conservative politics, a frequent guest at the Conservative Political Action Conference and an ally of former President Trump.

“well. look. I am not supporting everything Viktor Orban does. I don’t know everything he’s ever done,” Vance said. “What I think is that, in accordance with university principles, taxpayers should have some influence on how universities spend their money. That’s completely reasonable. And I think he made some smart decisions that America can learn from.”

Vance, who is considered a potential running mate for Trump, has raised his profile in recent months. Last week, he stepped back from his criticism of the former president and became one of his closest allies in the Senate.