With Indian education facing uncertainty at the federal level due to actions from the new presidential administration, tribal colleges and universities are seeing some significant — although symbolic — words of support from the U.S. Congress.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed S.Res.49 by unanimous consent, meaning there were no objections in the Republican-led chamber. The bipartisan measure designates the week beginning February 3 as National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week.

“I’m pleased the Senate passed my resolution designating this week as National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week,” Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), the sponsor of S.Res.49, said in a news release on Monday.

“This resolution recognizes the vital role of Tribal colleges and universities in creating opportunities for the next generation of Tribal leaders, upholding Tribal educational sovereignty, and preparing Native students for careers they can build their families around in their home communities,” said Heinrich, whose home state of New Mexico boasts three tribal colleges and universities, including the renowned Institute of American Indian Arts.

With support for tribal colleges and universities threatened by the administration of President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution designating this week as National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week. #TribalColleges #TribalUniversities #TCUs

— indianz.com (@indianz) February 3, 2025

Nearly two dozen lawmakers, Republican and Democrat alike, signed onto the tribal college resolution as co-sponsors. One of supporters is Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana), who has served on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs since his arrival on Capitol Hill a decade ago.

“Our tribal colleges and universities play a vital role in Montana’s communities and provide incredible opportunities for higher education on or near Montana’s reservations,” said Daines, whose state is home to seven such institutions of post-secondary learning.

“I’m proud to introduce legislation so the hard work and great achievements of our Montana students, teachers and educational institutions can be recognized nationally,” Daines added.

But national recognition of tribal colleges and universities comes barely two weeks after President Donald Trump took a swipe at the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities. On his first day in office on January 20, he rescinded a relatively non-controversial executive order that sought to boost Indian education across the board — from public schools that welcome the youngest American Indians and Alaska Natives to the higher institutions of learning that propel them to new careers and industries.

The withdrawal of the order, titled White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, was followed by an even more contentious move. On January 27, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ordered a suspension of nearly $3 trillion in federal funds that has already been allocated for various grant, assistance and other programs across the U.S. government.

The directive, which occurred without tribal consultation or consent, was met with immediate pushback. But even though the OMB rescinded the memorandum amid litigation and uproar among Democrats in Congress, the Trump administration has made it clear that the money is still on the chopping block in order to carry out the president’s goal of ridding the federal government of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

So while the nation-to-nation relationship is built on the recognition of tribes as sovereigns, Trump’s anti-DEI targets include programs that benefit tribal nations and their citizens. According to American Indian College Fund, funding for Indian student scholarships has already been cut.

“To date, we have lost funding for two significant scholarship programs that support nearly 100 students each year with meaningful scholarships,” American Indian College Fund President and CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull wrote on January 30. “One hundred talented, smart, innovative, forward-thinking, young Native people are now faced with limited opportunities to complete their studies because people are afraid to stand up for democratic values.”

The Trump administration’s efforts go beyond funding and into personnel. According to the Kiowa Tribe, an employee of the Office of Indian Education has been placed on leave at the Department of Education for no apparent reason — other than she has tried to support fellow American Indian and Alaska Native colleagues.

“In recent and alarming news, we have received word that the Department of Education has mistakenly misrepresented American Indian Education work and the Office of Indian Education as ‘DEI,’ which it most certainly is not,” Chairman Lawrence Spotted Bear wrote in a letter to key members of Congress on January 30.

“”We would like to send clear communication to all decision-makers and those new to our realm of government and law that American Indian citizenship and political status should in no way be classified nor characterized as DEI,” said Spotted Bear, who pointed out that the government’s trust and treaty obligations that have been repeatedly upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently with a major decision in support of the Indian Child Welfare Act in June 2023.

The assault on Indian Country extends even to basic information about the U.S. government’s obligations. Following the withdrawal of the executive order on Indian education, the Department of Education took the White House Initiative for Native Americans and Tribal Colleges and Universities offline. An archived copy from the Wayback Machine indicates sites.ed.gov/whiaiane went dark by January 30.

“This site has been archived or suspended,” a message now reads. The Facebook page for the initiative, whose roots go back decades under then-presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, has been removed as well.

So as tribal college leaders, administrators, employees and students arrive in the nation’s capital this week for a legislative conference hosted by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), they are facing a changed world. Barely two years ago, the organization was celebrating an unprecedented level of partnership with the federal government at the annual event in Washington, D.C.

But now AIHEC has joined two dozen Indian Country organizations — including the American Indian College Fund — in pressing on the U.S. to keep its promises to tribes and their citizens.

“We call on the Trump Administration to ensure the United States’ delivery on its trust and treaty obligations does not become collateral damage in the Trump Administration’s implementation of its other priorities, such as limiting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility (DEIA) and environmental justice (EJ) initiatives, and restricting the federal workforce,” a letter signed by organizations representing nearly every federally recognized tribe reads.

“Federal Tribal programs are not racial or preference programs, and indeed these federal funds and programs are legally mandated under the trust and treaty obligations owed to us,” the letter continues. “They are carried out in and recognized by many congressional statutes and federal agency actions.”

“Critically, we reiterate that Tribal issues and Tribal programs are separate and distinct from DEIA and EJ issues — as portrayed and implemented by the Administration in this entire effort,” the organizations asserted, echoing the Kiowa leader’s statement.

The White House Initiative for Native Americans and Tribal Colleges and Universities, like the Office of Indian Education, was housed at the Department of Education. Although the cabinet-level agency lacks a confirmed leader, unnamed individuals within the Trump administration have been busy going after “harmful” DEI initiatives since January 20.

“Following President Trump’s recent Executive Orders and initial guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Department removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI from its outward facing communication channels,” a press release published three days later stated. “The Department also put employees charged with leading DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave.”

“These review efforts will continue as the Department works to end discrimination based on race and the use of harmful race stereotypes, both within the agency and throughout America’s education system,” the release continued, confirming that the anti-DEI efforts are ongoing.

Trump has tapped Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during his first term in office, as Secretary of Education. A confirmation has yet to be scheduled, despite the Senate convening for the 119th Congress a month ago.

“As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” Trump said in a November 19, 2024, announcement.

ED is taking action to eliminate DEI initiatives.

This is the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning and implementing President Trump’s vision to reform education. https://t.co/pwTHg3Xdsq pic.twitter.com/ptKlRt4v4f

— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) January 23, 2025

Not to be outdone by National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week, Trump issued a proclamation in support of National School Choice Week on Friday — a day after the Senate passed the tribal college resolution. National School Choice Week officially ended on February 1.

“As we return authority over education from Washington to the States, and from bureaucrats to parents, I recommit to working with State and Federal lawmakers to provide educational freedom for every American family,” Trump wrote in the proclamation.