The College Fix

Democrat reps urge Department of Agriculture to reinstate program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has halted a financial aid effort targeting students from “underrepresented” areas enrolled at historically black colleges and universities.

The program’s website now states it is “suspended pending further review.”

“The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is aimed at bolstering educational and career opportunities for students from rural or underserved communities around the country,” according to the website.

Recipients of the scholarship received “full tuition, fees, books, room and board,” the website states.

In 2024, the USDA spent $19.2 million to give 94 scholarships through the 1890 program to students at 19 HBCUs.

At least two public officials have condemned the decision to rescind the program and called on the USDA to reinstate it.

“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,” Democrat North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams stated in a news release.

“This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it,” she stated.

The representative also demanded that the “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.”

Similarly, Democrat Illinois Rep. Jonathan Jackson issued a statement calling the decision “nothing short of an attack on opportunity.”

“The 1890 Scholars Program is a direct response to the USDA’s own history of racial discrimination. Killing it now sends a dangerous message that equity and opportunity no longer matter,” he stated.

“I’m calling on the USDA to reverse this disgraceful decision immediately and fully reinstate the program – no delays, no excuses,” Jackson stated.

The rescission of the program follows President Donald Trump’s executive order banning federal “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs.

Further, President Donald Trump’s Education Department warned last week that schools with DEI programs will risk losing federal funds.

In a “Dear Colleague letter,” the Office for Civil Rights claimed that DEI efforts frequently violate Title VI by discriminating based on race. The letter also suggested that the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard extends beyond just prohibiting race-based admissions, impacting broader DEI practices as well.

MORE: White professor wins $750K racial discrimination suit against HBCU

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