The Trump administration has proposed not renewing a $64 million federal payment to Howard University, arguing the funds are no longer necessary now that construction of the university’s hospital has been completed. The move was included in the administration’s latest budget proposal released Friday.
Howard is the only federally chartered historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the country and has historically received special appropriations from Congress.
The proposed cut comes just days after Trump signed an executive order aimed at supporting HBCUs through a White House initiative. He also reassured HBCU leaders during a NewsNation interview that their funding was secure, citing a 2019 bipartisan bill he signed that guarantees more than $250 million in annual support for HBCUs.
“I got them more money than they ever dreamt possible, and they’re in great shape now,” Trump said. “They have long-term financing. Nobody did that but Donald Trump.”
Despite these assurances, education advocates continue to raise alarms about the persistent underfunding of HBCUs. A 2022 Forbes analysis found that Black land-grant universities have been underfunded by more than $12 billion over the past 30 years compared to their predominantly white counterparts.
