WASHINGTON, DC – May 6, 2017 – Yesterday, President Trump released a statement on signing H.R. 244 that said his Administration would treat certain provisions in the budget “in a manner consistent with the requirement to afford equal protection of the law under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment.” The HBCU Capital Financing Program was listed as one example. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) has spoken to the Administration regarding the statement and was assured there was absolutely no plan to eliminate or challenge this program.

We have shared with the White House our assertion that the HBCU program is not at all a race-based government effort and therefore doesn’t raise any equal protection or due process concerns because participation in the program is limited to HBCUs. HBCUs serve some of the most diverse populations in this nation and three TMCF member-schools enroll more white students than black students: West Virginia State University, Bluefield State College, and Lincoln University of Missouri.

TMCF will continue our efforts to promote open dialogue to garner long-term solutions that do not derail the positive steps taken by this Administration for the benefit our nation’s HBCUs.