The Trump administration is stopping a number of grant programs that were only given to schools with a lot of minority students. They say ...
The Trump administration is stopping a number of grant programs that were only given to schools with a lot of minority students. They say that the programs are illegal because they tie government money to race targets, which is discrimination.
In a big change from decades of practice, the Education Department said Wednesday that it now thinks it's against the Constitution to give government grants to schools that meet certain racial or ethnic enrollment standards. The agency said it was putting back $350 million in funds that were planned for this year and asked Congress to "reenvision" the programs for next year.
The government's Hispanic-Serving Institution program, which gives funds to schools and universities where at least a quarter of the first-year students are Hispanic, got more than $250 million of that amount. In 1998, Congress made the program because it was found that Latino students were much less likely than white students to go to college and graduate.
A number of smaller programs are also being cut. These include $22 million for schools where at least 40% of the students are Black, as well as programs for schools with certain numbers of Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Native American students. The programs have always had backing from both parties in Congress. They were made to fix long-standing racial differences in schooling.
Federal money for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which are open to all students, regardless of race, is not being cut.
"Diversity is not just having people of different skin tones," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement Wednesday. "Stereotyping someone based on traits that can't be changed takes away from the full picture of their life and contributions, such as their character, resilience, and worth."
McMahon also said she wants to work with Congress to change the purpose of the money so that it can be used to help schools that serve kids who are "underprepared or under-resourced" without using limits. She didn't say more about how the $350 million would be used in other ways.
A federal case was filed by the state of Tennessee and the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions to question the government funds for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The state of Tennessee says that all of its public universities have Hispanic students, but none of them meet the "arbitrary ethnic threshold" needed to get the funds.
In a July memo, the Justice Department said that the 25% enrollment rule is against the Constitution and would not defend the funds in the case.
A national group of Hispanic-Serving Institutions told the court that the handouts are legal and help level the playing field for its members.
The funds can be given to more than 500 schools and institutions that are recognized as Hispanic-Serving Institutions. It has many community colleges and smaller schools as well as major campuses like the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at Austin.
Trump is "putting politics ahead of students who are just looking to get ahead," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. She brought up the government's current budget bill, which was passed in March as a short-term fix and gives the administration more freedom to change how federal money is spent.
According to Murray, this is yet another important reason why Congress needs to pass funding bills like the one the Senate worked on this summer. These bills would make sure that Congress, not Donald Trump or Linda McMahon, chooses how limited public dollars are spent.
The Education Department said it would still give about $132 million to similar grant programs that are "mandatory," which means that the amounts given are set by law. Still, the department said it "continues to consider the underlying legal issues associated with these programs' mandatory funding mechanism."
Hispanic colleges were important to former President Joe Biden, who signed an order last year promising a new presidential advisory board and more money. The order was taken back by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office earlier this year.
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