Congresswoman Adams Statement Following President Trump’s HBCU Executive Order (4248 hits)
Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) released the following statement after President Trump announced his Executive Order entitled “Promoting excellence, innovation, and sustainability at historically black colleges and universities”.
“Today, President Trump, like every president since Jimmy Carter, signed an Executive Order on HBCUs,” said Congresswoman Adams. “This order is a first step towards supporting our HBCUs but there is greater work to be done. Our schools need a real commitment and investment from this administration.
“Despite the buildup, this Executive Order doesn’t include details about federal agency funding, grants, or contracts. This action on HBCUs is not sufficient to hold up to promises made by this administration. Our schools need substantial policy changes and increased funding to create a real impact on their campuses-not just a photo op in the Oval office.
“As we establish national priorities through the budget, we must protect public education, bolster and expand Pell Grants, and give schools and students the means to be successful. I will work with the administration, HBCUs, and my colleagues to move forward with legislation that will provide HBCUs with the tools and resources they need to thrive.”
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Congresswoman Alma Adams is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University and her Doctorate from The Ohio State University. Prior to coming to Congress, Congresswoman Adams taught at Bennett College, an all-female HBCU in Greensboro, for forty years.
Many of the college presidents also went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to lobby Congress for more funding. Taylor said the $25 billion is needed to make up for years of underfunding and would cover the country’s more than 100 HBCUs.
Several presidents and HBCU advocacy organizations echoed Taylor’s sentiments.
“This is a great day for my membership and a great day for America,” said Lezli Baskerville, head of the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Education, an umbrella group for public, private and land-grant HBCUs.
GOP lawmakers said there were currently no concrete plans for increased funding. Several of them attended meetings Tuesday that Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., arranged with HBCU presidents, GOP officials and business leaders.
Scott said he and Walker planned to personally push for more money for black colleges, and “hopefully we will be more successful than they have been in the last few years.”
