Donald Trump Cuts HBCU Funding

Anta S Njie
Aug 24, 2017 · 3 min read

As we encroach upon his 30th week as President, there’s much to critically analyze about Trump’s time in the highest position of leadership this country has to offer; what has changed, what is now at stake because of these changes and how we, as a people, will choose to preserve democracy even as our most supreme leader works to dismantle it. These revelations come after telling events, including executive orders calling for tighter security along the Mexico and U.S. Border, to the Muslim ban, which banned any newcomers and some oldcomers from 6 Muslim majority countries.

However what was most indicative of how Trump’s time in office would be spent was his budget, which constituted the elimination of 66 programs infamously known for the aid they provided to low income, minority groups. Hardest hit was the department of housing and urban development, the department of health and human services and the department of education, which suffered from a $4.976 billion dollar cut. Yet during the signing of his budget on May 5, 2017, Trump hinted at another significant shift in allocated funds.

The Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program has gone untainted for the last 25 years, providing room for infrastructural advancement, government research projects and student aid on several HBCU campuses who could not garner such happenings on their own — a program that Trump wants to cut. Carefully considering the extra amount of funding provided to HBCUs as unconstitutional, Trump argued that he could not endorse any additional financial assistance granted under the means of race, ethnicity or gender. However, opposers to Trump’s decision point out that there is little proof supporting the idea that HBCUs have ever used such criteria to determine who is admitted into their universities.

These opposers include members of the American public who support the existence of HBCUs and congressional supporters, who were most alarmed by his statement. In his first budget proposal, Trump mentioned a possible increase for HBCU funding, which was then followed by a White House meeting with the president of several Historically Black Colleges and Universities to discuss said increase and all other pressing concerns leadership had. After this meeting, which was later revealed to just be a flimsy photo op, Trump signaled a confirmed shift in HBCU funding control from the Department of Education to the White House, furthermore emphasizing the level of volatility in the matter.

But is volatility what the few stable Historically Black Colleges and Universities of this country can handle right now? Cheyney University, the oldest HBCU in the country, suffers from a severe funding issue with the state of Pennsylvania and within as they fight to keep their doors open and sustain their independence as an institution — as state lawmakers have been advocating for a merger with West Chester University, a PWI (Predominantly White Institution). Without the financial aid that the Capital Financing Program provides and the moral support previous presidential administrations have been successful in dousing on the HBCU community, will this cohort of beloved institutions whither?

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