Interior Department Proposes Axing Tribal College Funds

Tribal college advocates expressed concern Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Interior proposed nixing more than $150 million for tribal colleges, universities and postsecondary programs as part of President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. The department recommended a similar cut to the funds last year, but Congress didn’t agree to do so.

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which represents tribal colleges and universities, said in a statement that this latest proposal “does not align with the Administration’s stated priorities to support rural America and expand access to higher education” and “removes a relatively small investment that delivers outsized economic and community impact.”

AIHEC acknowledged federal dollars its institutions have received from the Departments of Education and Labor since Trump took office, but asserted that the Interior funds play an important role in tribal communities and are a part of the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations.

“Consistent and robust funding across agencies is essential to ensuring that Tribal students and communities are not left behind,” the statement read. “If the Administration is committed to advancing opportunity in rural America, Tribal Colleges and Universities must be treated as a central investment priority in the President’s Budget, not an afterthought.”