On Thursday, December 19, 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law the bi-partisan Future Act that secures permanent funding for HBCUs and similar institutions:
H.R. 5363, the "Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act or the FUTURE Act," which makes permanent $255 million in mandatory funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs); enable disclosure of tax return information for the administration of Federal student financial aid programs; and increase funding for the Federal Pell Grant program.
H.R. 5363, the "Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act or the FUTURE Act," which makes permanent $255 million in mandatory funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs); enable disclosure of tax return information for the administration of Federal student financial aid programs; and increase funding for the Federal Pell Grant program.
Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, thanked Trump and the thousands of advocates who lobbied Congress to support the bill.
Passage of the bill was a joint effort between legislators and the community.
“We enlisted more than 20,000 supporters to write and call their members of Congress,” Lomax said. “This activated army of advocates became the frontline of support for HBCUs, and they won the battle for our institutions.”
The bill will prevent inevitable cuts to staff and/or programs at schools that were expecting the funding that Congress opted not to renew in September. The bill also simplifies the FASFA application for students seeking financial aids.
Passed on Dec. 5, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams and U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, both of North Carolina, introduced the FUTURE Act. Sen. Lamar Alexander Senate Education Committee Chairman had previously sought longer term solutions for the funding.
Statement from the President
"I have signed groundbreaking legislation to support America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and to simplify the Federal financial aid application for millions of American families. President Obama and the Obama Administration were unable to get this done. I got it done.
I wish to thank the leaders who helped pass this legislation: Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary Steven Mnuchin, along with Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Tim Scott, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Representative Virginia Foxx, and Representative Mark Walker. Thanks also to United Negro College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Lomax, Thurgood Marshall College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Williams, and National Association for Equal Opportunity President and Chief Executive Officer Lezli Baskerville.
When I took office, I promised to fight for HBCUs, and my Administration continues to deliver. A few months ago, funding for HBCUs was in jeopardy. But the White House and Congress came together and reached a historic agreement. For the first time ever, I signed legislation to permanently fund HBCUs and other institutions that primarily serve first-generation and minority students. This action guarantees more than $2.5 billion over the next 10 years, including $850 million specifically for HBCUs.
Today’s achievement continues my unprecedented commitment to HBCUs. During my first weeks in office, I moved the HBCU initiative, led by Johnathan Holifield, to the White House and worked with Congress to increase funding for HBCUs by more than $100 million. HBCUs have never had better champions in the White House.
The bill I signed today also reforms the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The Internal Revenue Service will now seamlessly transfer applicants’ records to the Department of Education, so that families can use a simpler, shorter application for financial aid and those with student loans do not have to complete a cumbersome income certification process year after year. This is a transformative change that has been talked about in Washington for more than a decade, but everyone always said it could not be done. We got it done.
My Administration will continue to fight for HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, as well as the millions of students and hundreds of communities they serve. These wonderful institutions are essential to Keep America Great."
I wish to thank the leaders who helped pass this legislation: Secretary Betsy DeVos and Secretary Steven Mnuchin, along with Senator Lamar Alexander, Senator Tim Scott, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Representative Virginia Foxx, and Representative Mark Walker. Thanks also to United Negro College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Lomax, Thurgood Marshall College Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Williams, and National Association for Equal Opportunity President and Chief Executive Officer Lezli Baskerville.
When I took office, I promised to fight for HBCUs, and my Administration continues to deliver. A few months ago, funding for HBCUs was in jeopardy. But the White House and Congress came together and reached a historic agreement. For the first time ever, I signed legislation to permanently fund HBCUs and other institutions that primarily serve first-generation and minority students. This action guarantees more than $2.5 billion over the next 10 years, including $850 million specifically for HBCUs.
Today’s achievement continues my unprecedented commitment to HBCUs. During my first weeks in office, I moved the HBCU initiative, led by Johnathan Holifield, to the White House and worked with Congress to increase funding for HBCUs by more than $100 million. HBCUs have never had better champions in the White House.
The bill I signed today also reforms the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The Internal Revenue Service will now seamlessly transfer applicants’ records to the Department of Education, so that families can use a simpler, shorter application for financial aid and those with student loans do not have to complete a cumbersome income certification process year after year. This is a transformative change that has been talked about in Washington for more than a decade, but everyone always said it could not be done. We got it done.
My Administration will continue to fight for HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, as well as the millions of students and hundreds of communities they serve. These wonderful institutions are essential to Keep America Great."