WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is redirecting nearly $500 million in federal funds Historically black universities And tribal universities are one-off investments covered by cuts to other universities that serve large numbers of minority students.
The Education Department announced a rise in funding a few days later A $350 million cut From other grants, mainly from programs reserved for universities with many Hispanic students. The agency leader said these grants are unconstitutional as they are only available to universities with a specific minority registration threshold.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon The change said it would redirect money from “from effective and discriminatory programs to those that support students’ success.”
“The department carefully scrutinised federal grants and ensured that taxpayers were funding programs that promote education benefits and excellence, not racist programs,” McMahon said in a statement.
The department is also redirecting around $60 million to fund charter schools and $137 million to US history and citizen grants. president Donald Trump It was published in January Executive Action Order agents to reuse federal money for charter schools and other school selection initiatives.
This amounts to a one-off federal funding where HBCUs increase by 48% and more than double the funding of tribal universities and universities, the department said.
The department is increasing its power to reuse discretionary funds to align with the president’s priorities – through the Stopped Funds Act, passed by Congress this year, it has enabled the administrative department to give more power over spending decisions.
Trump has long called himself the HBCU champion. During his first term, Congress Added $250 million a year For hbcus. Trump signed this year Executive Action It pledges to support the annual White House Summit, the Advisory Committee and other HBCUs.
The education department said the money comes from programs that are deemed “not the greatest benefit of students or families.” Previously, he said subsidies would be redirected to programs that are not racial allocation-independent via other minorities.
Those familiar with the decision said money is also separate from talented and talented programs, magnetic schools, international education and programs that support teacher training. Most of these programs will be zero in Trump’s 2026 budget request, and the person spoke about conditions of anonymity, not permitted to discuss the decision.
Last week’s cuts to Hispanic Service Agency programs overturned decades of precedent. The Congress created the program in 1998 after discovering that Latino students graduated at a much lower fee than white students. The department also cut back on several small programs for universities that serve a certain percentage of Asian American, Black or Native American students.
Cutt took a quick blow from Democrats who said these programs have long been bipartisan support and have promoted social mobility for working-class Americans.
a July notes The Department of Justice claims that Hispanic service facilities grants are unconstitutional as they are only open to universities where more than a quarter of undergraduate students are Hispanic. The department refused to defend the program in lawsuits filed by Tennessee and students for fair admission, a breaching action group.
The lawsuit asks federal judges to suspend grants. Tennessee allegedly served Hispanic students, but no one met the “arbitrary ethnic threshold” to qualify for funding. The schools have missed tens of millions of dollars due to discriminatory requirements, the lawsuit said.
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