Trump suggests financing for historically black colleges may be unconstitutional [View all]

[JHan]

President Donald Trump signaled Friday that he may not implement a 25-year-old federal program that helps historically black colleges finance construction projects on their campuses, suggesting that it may run afoul of the Constitution.

In a signing statement on the $1.1 trillion omnibus government spending bill, Trump singled out the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program as an example of provisions in the funding bill “that allocate benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender.”

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Trump’s statement also suggests concern about programs listed under the “School Improvement Programs” section of the budget. Those include a wide range of education-related programs, such as after-school initiatives and programs that support Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native education.

Advocates for HBCUs and a legal expert said they were confused by the reference to the HBCU financing program.

Cheryl Smith, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs at the United Negro College Fund, also known as UNCF, which advocates for private HBCUs, said in a statement that the organization is “puzzled by this provision and seeking clarification from the White House as to its meaning.”

*Snip*

“The administration is basically putting us on notice that they think there might be a problem, and therefore they might have to exercise judgement in these programs,” he said.

He also said it was unusual that the statement referenced only “race, ethnicity and gender.”

“Why stop here?” he asked. “If you’re worried about the allocation of benefits in unfair ways, why not add other things like religion or disability?”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/05/trump-historically-black-colleges-financing-unconstitutional-238061

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