Gallego, Bicameral Collation Press Trump Administration on Illegal Reallocation of Funding for Minority Serving Institutions

WASHINGTON — Last week, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and a bicameral coalition of Democratic lawmakers in pressing U.S. Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon on the administration’s illegal decision to redirect funding from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to other institutions. In the letter to Secretary McMahon, the lawmakers emphasized that while increasing funding for those institutions is important, the additional investments cannot come at the expense of MSIs that serve millions of students nationwide. The letter also reiterated the illegal nature of the decision to redirect funding that was statutorily authorized in specific amounts for specific purposes — in clear violation of the law. “This administration unnecessarily reallocated half of these funds in order to put out a press release leading up to midterm elections touting how much funding it was providing to HBCUs and Tribal Colleges — while robbing MSIs of investments Congress has provided them. It is offensive that the Trump administration is pitting these institutions of higher education and the students they serve against each other, and going to extra lengths to do so,” the lawmakers wrote. There are currently more than 800 federally recognized MSIs which include Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHSIs), Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). These MSIs serve more than 5 million students collectively and have been receiving Congressionally directed federal support for more than 30 years. In December 2019, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the bipartisan Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act ( FUTURE Act ), permanently authorizing $255 million in mandatory funding for HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs. “The law is clear. Congress mandated that funds, with specific statutorily prescribed amounts, be provided for each grant program with specific statutorily defined purposes in each fiscal year,” the lawmakers wrote. “To be clear, mandatory funding for [these institutions] — as provided by the FUTURE Act — cannot be reallocated for other purposes or programs without explicit authorization from Congress. ED does not have the unilateral authority to reallocate these funds,” the lawmakers continued. The lawmakers concluded their letter by emphasizing the importance of supporting all MSIs — not just HBCUs and TCCUs. “ED must immediately remedy these illegal actions and restore the funds that were illegally taken away from HSIs, AANAPISIs, ANNHSIs, NASNTIs, and PBIs. Increases in funding for HBCUs and TCCUs should not come at the expense of other critical institutions of higher education,” the lawmakers concluded. The full list of signees can be found in the letter text HERE .