The Trump administration has proposed to reduce funding for tribal universities and universities by nearly 90%, a move that could shut down most or all established institutions to serve vulnerable groups in the country’s historic abuse of Indigenous communities.
The proposal includes budget requirements from the Home Office to Congress, which was released publicly on Monday. The document mentions only two federally controlled tribal colleges – Haskel Indian National University and Southwestern Indian Institute of Technology – but notes that post-school program requirements will drop from $182 million this year to $22 million in 2026.
Ahniwake Rose, president and CEO of the Indian Indian Higher Education Consortium in the United States, said that if Congress supports the government’s proposal, it will destroy 37 tribal colleges and universities in the country.
“The proposed figures will close tribal universities,” Ross told Propublica. “They will not be able to maintain.”
Propublica found last year that Congress lacked tribal colleges per year less than $100 million. ProPublica found that the Indian Education Bureau was tasked with providing funding for institutions, never requiring legislators to provide full funding for the legally required levels.
But the Trump administration’s budget doesn’t solve the problem, but will destroy these universities, tribal education leaders say.
The Indian Education Bureau manages federal funding for the tribal college, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the agency’s parent company refuses to answer questions.
Ross said she and other university leaders were not warned of the proposed cuts, nor were they consulted during the budget process. At the end of Monday’s day, federal officials have not yet reached the university.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration outlines a massive cut in funding related to federal government trust and treaty obligations to tribes. The Tribal Sovereign Union said last month that the government’s proposed discretionary spending for the interests of Native Americans would fall to a low of more than 15 years, which is considered “an effort to permanently affect trust and treaty obligations to tribal countries.”
Congress passed legislation in 1978 dedicated to funding the tribal college system and inflation-adjusted appropriations based on the number of students in federally accredited tribes enrolled. But these grants have been lagging behind inflation.
Despite the insignificant funding, these universities managed to manage indigenous languages, conduct advanced research, and train local residents in nursing, meat processing, and other occupations and industries. But with little money spent on infrastructure or construction, schools were forced to drive broken water pipes, sewage leaks, collapsed roofs and other issues that aggravate financial flaws.
Tribal Academy leaders say they are shocked by the already sufficient funding to lay off staff and have more questions than answers.
“I was shaking on my boots,” said Manoj Patil, principal of the Little Pastor Tribal College of Nebraska. “It’s basically a knife on the chest. It’s a dagger and I don’t know how we can survive these types of cuts.”
Congress will have final decisions on the budget, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández is a ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on India and Isolation Affairs, whose New Mexico state includes three tribal colleges. Leger Fernández said in a statement that the tribal academy “is the lifeline of the Indian nation.” “They provide higher education rooted in language, culture and community. These cuts will enable Indigenous students to master opportunities, contrary to our trust responsibility.”
The House and other members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee did not immediately answer ProPublica’s questions. The White House also did not respond to requests for more information.
Monday’s budget release is the latest in a series of bad financial news for Tribal University since President Donald Trump began his second term. The government has suspended agricultural grants to fund scholarships and research, while the tribal college president has tried to limit in-depth cuts to the Pell Grant program for low-income students over the past week. The vast majority of tribal college students rely on Pell funds to go to school.
Tribal Academy believes that their funds are protected by treaties and federal trust obligations, a legal obligation to require the United States to protect Native education, resources, rights and assets. They noted that these institutions are economic engines in some of North America’s poorest areas, providing jobs, training and social services in often remote areas.
“When they rely on us to train the workforce,[approval of layoffs]doesn’t make sense to them,” said Dawn Frank, principal of Oglala Lakota College in South Dakota. “We do rely on senators and representatives to fulfill their treaty and trust obligations.”
But others noted that they had spent years meeting with federal representatives to emphasize the importance of tribal colleges to the community and were disappointed by the long-term underfunded.
“It feels a little frustrated that our voices are not heard,” said Chris Caldwell, president of Menominee Nation College in Wisconsin. “They don’t hear our message.”
