Judge calls Trump order ‘arbitrary,’ restores $19 million in HBCU scholarships

The federal government has reopened a multimillion-dollar scholarship program for historically Black colleges and universities, according to the department’s website.

Alabama A&M and Tuskegee University are two of the 19 recipients of the 1890 Scholars program, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides full tuition, room and board for students studying “food, agriculture, natural resource and other related sciences.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications again after the site showed “suspended pending further review” last week. Applications are being accepted through March 15 instead of the original March 1 deadline.

On Feb. 21, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order from his first day in office.
The language related to canceling equity-related grants was too vague and invited “arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement,” wrote U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden. “The possibilities are almost endless, and many are pernicious.”
An AAMU administrator said their 35 scholars “are in high workforce demand majors such as food science, forestry and other major needs in agriculture.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rep. Terri Sewell said “these scholarships exist to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders and scholars. Suspending them will rip opportunities away from our students and hurt our nation’s farming communities in the long term.” She added, “The Trump Administration must reverse this decision immediately!”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offered $19.2 million to 94 students last year.