Trump Seeks to Cut Funding for Tribal Colleges Again

President's budget proposal would eliminate funding for Institute of American Indian Arts and reduce support for tribal colleges and universities.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 4:21pm

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A serene, painterly depiction of a tribal college building in warm, golden light, conveying the somber mood of potential funding cuts to these important educational institutions.The potential loss of federal funding threatens the future of tribal colleges, which serve as vital educational hubs for Native American communities.Parshall Today

For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is proposing to slash federal funding for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) in its fiscal year 2027 budget proposal. The budget calls for a $1.5 trillion increase in defense spending while cutting billions in funding for programs that fulfill trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations, including entirely eliminating funding for the Institute for American Indian Arts, the country's only federally funded college for contemporary Native American arts.

Why it matters

Tribal colleges and universities provide affordable, culturally-relevant education to mostly rural Native American communities. They rely heavily on federal funding, which is tied to the government's trust responsibilities and treaty rights owed to tribes. Eliminating this funding could force many TCUs to close within a year, depriving thousands of Native students of educational opportunities.

The details

President Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal calls for cutting funding for TCUs, as well as two schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education: Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. Students at both BIE schools sued the agency last year over funding and staffing cuts made by the administration. The budget also slashes billions in federal housing, business, and infrastructure grants that benefit Native Americans.

  • President Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal was released last week.
  • Last year, the Trump administration also cut funding for TCUs, including several grants at agencies like USDA that support education for tribal citizens.

The players

Ahniwake Rose

President of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which represents the interests of tribal colleges and universities.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján

A Democratic senator from New Mexico and a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

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What they’re saying

“If this budget was to pass, our TCUs would be forced to close within a year.”

— Ahniwake Rose, President, American Indian Higher Education Consortium

“These cuts are unacceptable, and I will fight relentlessly to protect IAIA and secure the federal funding they need. President Trump's budget proposal to eliminate IAIA's federal funding is a direct attack on Native communities and yet another example of how the administration is turning its back on Native communities.”

— Sen. Ben Ray Luján, U.S. Senator, New Mexico

What’s next

Congress will now have to defend federal funding for tribal colleges and universities, as they did last year when the Trump administration first proposed cuts.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's repeated attempts to eliminate federal funding for tribal colleges and universities, which provide affordable, culturally-relevant education to Native American communities, highlight the ongoing challenges facing Native education and the government's treaty obligations to tribal nations.