November 4, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, chair of the Senate Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Caucus, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), and Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), led 34 members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation in strongly opposing the Department of Education’s decision to rescind $350 million in funding from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

The lawmakers voiced their disappointment and disagreement with the Department of Justice’s July 25th determination that Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) apply “racial quotas” in a manner that is “unconstitutional,” especially since no court has found the MSI program unconstitutional or instructed the Department of Education to reprogram this funding. The signatories also warned that the Department’s actions would disproportionately harm Californian students and weaken California’s — and America’s — long-term competitiveness.

“To be clear, diverting resources away from these schools will disproportionately harm California students and students across the nation who depend on MSIs as the most accessible and affordable pathway to a degree,” wrote the lawmakers. “It would also weaken proven engines of upward mobility, deprive our workforce of diverse talent, and undercut the nation’s long-term competitiveness.” 

“Rather than reallocate scarce dollars from MSIs to HBCUs and TCCUs, we urge you to allocate funding as intended by Congress to support all MSIs, HBCUs, and TCCUs. … Equitable, sustained funding across the spectrum of MSIs, HBCUs, and TCCUs will ensure that more institutions can continue broadening opportunity, reducing inequities, and powering the American economy,” continued the lawmakers. “Our collective goal must be to invest in all students, no matter which institution they attend.”

There are over 800 federally recognized MSIs, including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHSIs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). MSIs enroll over 5 million students, many of whom are first-generation college students. These institutions rely on federal funding to provide vital supports and services for students to help them complete their degrees. The Trump Administration’s decision to end funding for MSIs could threaten the institutions’ ability to adequately serve all the students they enroll.

Earlier this year, Tennessee filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education to challenge the eligibility requirements necessary to receive a federal HSI designation. In July, the Department of Justice decided to not defend the constitutionality of the program in the ongoing litigation. Despite no ruling or court instructions, the Department of Education announced during HSI week on September 10th that it would end and reprogram $350 million in discretionary grants for HSIs and other MSIs. On October 10, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee allowed the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and LatinoJustice Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (LatinoJustice PRLDEF) to intervene in the litigation, ensuring affected campuses can help defend the programs.

California has the largest concentration of MSIs in the country. The state is home to 170+ HSIs and 85 eligible AANAPISIs. In addition, MSIs enroll the majority of first-generation and low-income students in California and consistently demonstrate higher rates of economic mobility than non-MSI institutions. The Department of Education’s decision to reprogram funding from the MSI program undermines the ability of these universities to serve communities that have long been underrepresented in higher education.

In addition to Padilla, Schiff, Costa, Lofgren, and Tran, the letter was also signed by Representatives Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.-33), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Ami Bera (D-Calif.-06), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-08), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Josh Harder (D-Calif.-09), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.-12), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), and George Whitesides (D-Calif.-27).

As chair of the Senate HSI Caucus, Senator Padilla has led the fight opposing the Trump Administration’s attacks against MSIs. Last month, Senators Padilla, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), alongside 21 Senate colleagues, demanded Education Secretary Linda McMahon immediately reverse course on the Trump Administration’s harmful decision to end $350 million for MSIs. In September, Padilla and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas-20), co-chair of the House HSI Caucus, issued a statement slamming this decision. Additionally, Padilla and Castro previously condemned the Trump Administration’s letter declaring that they will no longer defend the $350 million HSI annual grant program in court, effectively ending the program.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary McMahon,

As members of the California Congressional Delegation, we write to express our strong opposition to the Department of Education’s (EDs) decision to rescind federal resources from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) – including Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHSIs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs).

California is home to the largest concentration of MSIs in the country. Our state has 85 eligible AANAPISIs, serving large numbers of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students, as well as more than 170 HSIs, educating nearly two million students of all backgrounds. For example, twenty-one of twenty-two California State University campuses are federally designated HSIs, and five University of California campuses have reached HSI status. California’s community colleges – our primary access point to higher education – are overwhelmingly HSIs, with over 90 percent already meeting the federal threshold. Collectively, MSIs enroll the majority of first-generation and low-income students in California and consistently demonstrate higher rates of economic mobility than non-MSI institutions. The Department’s decision to reprogram funding from the MSI program undermines the ability of these universities to serve communities that have long been underrepresented in higher education.

We are disappointed in and disagree with the Department of Justice’s July 25th determination that HSIs apply “racial quotas” in a manner that is “unconstitutional.” No court has found the MSI program unconstitutional, nor has a court instructed the Department of Education to reprogram this funding. We note that on October 10, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee granted Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and LatinoJustice PRLDEF the right to intervene in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. U.S. Department of Education, ensuring that affected institutions have a voice in defending these programs. To be clear, diverting resources away from these schools will disproportionately harm California students and students across the nation who depend on MSIs as the most accessible and affordable pathway to a degree. It would also weaken proven engines of upward mobility, deprive our workforce of diverse talent, and undercut the nation’s long-term competitiveness.

Rather than reallocate scarce dollars from MSIs to HBCUs and TCCUs, we urge you to allocate funding as intended by Congress to support all MSIs, HBCUs, and TCCUs. We are encouraged that affected institutions can now participate in the judicial process to ensure these programs are fully and fairly defended. In light of these developments, we would welcome the opportunity to work with the administration to increase investments in MSIs, HBCUS, and TCCUs. Equitable, sustained funding across the spectrum of MSIs, HBCUs, and TCCUs will ensure that more institutions can continue broadening opportunity, reducing inequities, and powering the American economy. Our collective goal must be to invest in all students, no matter which institution they attend.

Sincerely,

Source: Senator Alex Padilla