The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is urging President Donald J. Trump to reinstate a federal scholarship program designed to support students from rural and
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indefinitely suspended the 1890 Scholarship Program on Thursday, with the program's website stating it is "pending further review." The suspension comes amid a broader funding freeze instituted by the Trump administration to review whether spending aligns with the president's executive orders on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
"The Trump Administration's decision to suspend the 1890 Scholars Program 'pending further review' is an outrageous disruption that undermines efforts to make higher education accessible for Black students and correct our nation's history of systemic racial discrimination within the land-grant system," said Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), chair of the CBC.
The scholarship program, established in 1992, provides full tuition, room and board to students pursuing degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences or related fields at one of 19 HBCUs, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. These include Alabama A&M, Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, and Tuskegee University, among others.
To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens with a GPA of 3.0 or better and demonstrate leadership and community service. Last year, more than $19 million was allocated to 94 students across the participating HBCUs.
With applications for the program closing on March 1, the CBC is calling on Trump to reinstate the program ahead of the deadline.
A USDA spokesperson said that current scholarship recipients would be able to complete their studies, stating: "To be clear, every scholar — over 300 — regardless of matriculation date, was retained to finish their studies and complete their work with the Department." The spokesperson added that Secretary Brooke Rollins will review the scholarship program "to ensure the most efficient use of taxpayer resources."
Members of the CBC have expressed outrage over the suspension. Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) called it a "clear attack on an invaluable program" making higher education accessible, adding that the program "is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it."
Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) described the move as "another egregious attack on fairness and opportunity" that "punishes talented students and hurts our future."
The 1890 in the program's title refers to the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which established historically Black colleges and universities as land-grant institutions after many Black students were excluded from attending the original land-grant universities created by the first Morrill Act of 1862.
The suspension of the program raises concerns about the future of agricultural education and career pathways for students from underserved communities as well as the broader implications for diversity in the agricultural sector.
