Education Department Ends $350M Grants to Minority-Serving Colleges

The Trump administration, through the U.S. Department of Education led by Secretary Linda McMahon, announced it will terminate approximately $350 million in discretionary grant funding to several minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and others supporting underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. The administration argues these programs violate constitutional equal protection principles by restricting eligibility based on race or ethnicity, citing a recent legal determination and declining to defend these programs in court. McMahon emphasized that diversity should not be defined by skin color and that individuals should be judged on merit rather than racial group membership, with plans to reallocate the funds to programs that support underprepared or under-resourced students without racial quotas. This decision has sparked criticism from education leaders and lawmakers, who warn it will cause immediate harm to students reliant on these supports, especially in systems like California State University where nearly half the students are Hispanic. Democrats, including Senator Patty Murray, condemned the cuts as politically motivated and urged Congress to assert control over funding decisions. The administration clarified that mandatory funds for some programs, including those supporting Native American institutions, will continue, and that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are not affected as they do not use racial quotas for eligibility.