Donald Trump’s administration has proposed cutting federal funding for tribal colleges and universities for the second year in a row, according to a budget plan released last week.The fiscal year 2027 proposal includes a $1.5 trillion increase in defense spending while cutting funding for programs tied to trust and treaty obligations to tribal nations. It also proposes ending funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts, the only federally funded college dedicated to contemporary Native American arts.According to the Associated Press (AP), the proposal calls for cuts to tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-run institutions, including Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute.Students from both institutions filed a lawsuit against BIE last year over funding and staff cuts.
Leaders warned of repercussions.
Ahni Vic Rose, president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, said the proposed cuts could have dire consequences.“If this budget were to pass, our TCUs would be forced to close within a year,” Rose said, according to the AP.The proposal also includes cuts in federal spending on housing, business and infrastructure programs that benefit Native American communities.
Dependence on federal funding
There are about three dozen tribal colleges and universities in the United States, most of which are run by tribal nations and mostly serve rural areas. Many offer lower tuition for tribal citizens.Most of these institutions rely heavily on federal funding, tied to the government’s trust obligations and treaty obligations to tribal nations.
Previous deductions and uncertainties
Funding for TCUs was cut last year as well, including a cut in grants from agencies like the United States Department of Agriculture that support education for tribal communities, the AP reported.The administration also cut funding for minority-serving institutions and reallocated some of it to historically black colleges and universities and TCUs. Tribal college leaders said they don’t expect the funds to be reallocated again this year.Rose said Congress will now decide whether to maintain funding levels.
Political response
Ben Ray Lujan criticized the proposal, particularly the plan to end funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts.“These cuts are unacceptable, and I will fight tirelessly to protect IAIA and secure federal funding,” Luján said in a statement, as quoted by the AP.“President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate federal funding for the IAIA is a direct attack on local communities and is another example of how the administration is turning its back on local communities,” he added.
