In a significant development, President Donald Trump is planning to scrap a law that restricted federal funding to faith-based HBCUs and seminaries.
On Tuesday, while speaking at the 2019 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference, President Trump said he would remove restrictions that put curbs on the Department of Education to guarantee loans for capital improvements at such institutions.
Trump mentioned the Department of Justice opinion published last month that declared such discriminatory restrictions as unconstitutional.
“This meant that your faith-based institutions, which have made such extraordinary contributions to America, were unfairly punished for their religious beliefs,” Trump said. “And from now on, faith-based HBCUs will enjoy equal access to federal support.”
The move will impact nearly 40 faith-based HBCUs and seminaries.
While counting his achievements, Trump said that currently 32 federal departments and agencies have prioritized and extended their support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He further mentioned increasing federal funding for HBCUs by a record 13 percent
“That was the highest ever done,” he added.
Recent reports have found that the enrollment, degree and economic impacts of HBCUs on African American populations within their respective states are far better than their sizes and resources.
A United Negro College Fund (UNCF) report revealed that HBCUs across 21 southern states and territories enroll 24 percent of black undergraduates and award 26 percent of all bachelor’s degrees to black students.
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