The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that they have suspended a federal scholarship dedicated to funding students who want to attend a historically Black college and university.
First announced on Thursday, the 1890 Scholars Program has been put on hold, although it is not known when the suspension was first put into effect. Approximately 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions, will be affected, including Alabama A&M, Tuskegee University and North Carolina A&T.
Initially created in 1992, the program, which refers to the law of the Second Morrill Act of 1890 that recognized the creation of HBCUs, provides full tuition for students interested in studying food, agriculture, or natural resource sciences at an HBCU.
Those who have already signed up as part of the program will still be “retained,” according to a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture who spoke to AP News. The 1890 Scholars Program will be part of the programs that will be reviewed by Secretary Brooke Rollins as they try to determine how taxpayer resources should be used.
After the scholarship’s suspension was announced, elected officials criticized the move, emphasizing how “infuriating” the decision was.
The #USDA has "suspended" the 1890 Scholars Program, "pending further review." Established in 1992, it's aimed at bolstering educational and career opportunities for students from rural or underserved communities around the country. 94 scholarships were awarded in FY24. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/cYgP2YT7kz
— HBCU Alum (@hbcualum) February 21, 2025
“This is a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody, and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day,” said Congresswoman Alma Adams of the 12th District of North Carolina in a statement. “This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it.”
“I demand USDA immediately rescind this targeted and mean-spirited suspension and reinstate the 1890 Scholars Program, for which the deadline for students to apply was originally March 1, 2025,” she added.
The announcement comes as the federal judges are making critical decisions on whether to block the Trump administration’s planned freezing fund.
On Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island heard arguments for a lawsuit brought by Democratic attorney generals from 22 states and the District of Columbia; the group is alleging that the freeze is unlawful and would have a disastrous outcome on the U.S. as a nation.
The White House continues to maintain that the freeze is necessary to ensure that spending is being used in a way that aligns with Trump’s promises.
The freezing fund was already blocked last month by U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., who ruled that a temporary restraining order should be put into place.
McConnell later ruled that the Trump administration was not adhering to the order as funds were still inaccessible. A final ruling is expected later this week.
