For the second consecutive year, the Trump administration has put forth a proposal that aims to slash federal funding for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). The fiscal year 2027 budget proposal is marked by a drastic increase in defense spending by $1.5 trillion, coupled with billions of dollars in cuts to programs that fulfill trust and treaty responsibilities toward tribal nations. This includes the full elimination of funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts, the only federally funded college dedicated to contemporary Native American arts.
The budget proposal, released last week, also indicates cuts for TCUs and for two Bureau of Indian Education-operated schools: Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. Students from both institutions had previously sued the Bureau over insufficient funding and staffing, highlighting the problematic nature of the administration's financial strategies.
“If this budget was to pass, our TCUs would be forced to close within a year,” said Ahniwake Rose, president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Her comments underscore the impending threat to educational access for numerous Native American students across the nation.
In addition to education, the budget proposal would drastically reduce federal housing, business, and infrastructure grants essential to the welfare and development of Native American communities. There are approximately three dozen TCUs across the U.S., primarily catering to rural populations and offering affordable education to tribal citizens. Most TCUs rely significantly on federal funding, an obligation rooted in the historical promises made regarding trust responsibilities and treaty rights owed to tribal nations.
Despite these financial challenges, tribal colleges had dealt with similar funding cuts last year, which also affected several USDA grants aimed at supporting education for tribal students. In a pattern of reallocating resources, funding for minority-serving institutions was also cut—though some resources were ostensibly redirected to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and TCUs, leaders within these institutions have expressed doubts about receiving expected funding this year.
As the budget proposal now heads to Congress, it will require advocacy to protect TCUs from these deeply consequential cuts. Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico has publicly condemned the proposed budget, denouncing cuts to the Institute for American Indian Arts as a targeted attack on Native American communities. He expressed determination to fight for the funding necessary for these institutions to thrive.
