Lazy Reporting. Lazier Posting. Zero Critical Thinking.
Often on Twitter when Trump is criticized, invariably someone posts this article to say that Trump isn’t a racist and look at what Biden did! It is a stupid interpretation of the facts, but this post took me out because Cynthia McKinney spent over a decade in Congress- she should know how funding works. But she has become unrecognizable to those of us who have known of her in Atlanta.
Here is a link to this sorry story…
Newsweek is wrong for posting this article on a number of fronts. First, it summarizes a few paragraphs of the original article by the Associated Press, and then pastes the rest of the AP article. Here is the original:
Second. Look at the framing of the story with the titles. The Newsweek article is more propaganda than reporting and misleads folks by saying funding falls, suggesting HBCUs had $45 BILLION that Biden cut (more on what $45 billion buys in a bit).
The first sentence of the AP article accurately sets up the story:
Optimism for transformational funding for the nation’s historically Black colleges was running high after the Biden administration included $45 billion for the schools in its massive multitrillion dollar spending plan.
Third. The 4-paragraph summary of the AP story was written by Alyse Messmer. At the time of the writing, she was doing a 4-month internship with Newsweek, and a junior at California Baptist University who graduated in 2022. Watching so many people retweet an intern’s short summary of an AP article, which later pastes the entire AP article, with a headline that completely misleads, is a damn shame.
Fourth. The spending plan references is Biden’s The American Jobs Plan. It was released roughly two months after he took office. There are LOTS of big numbers, for example:
- $621 billion in transportation infrastructure and resilience
- $45 billion in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and in Water Infrastructure Improvements
- $213 billion to produce, preserve, and retrofit more than two million affordable and sustainable places to live
- $40 billion to improve the infrastructure of the public housing system in America
- $100 billion to upgrade and build new public schools
Clearly this plan is a long-range, aspirational goal for investment and not part of an official budget request. And interestingly, no stories have been written saying Biden cut $100 billion to upgrade schools or slashed $621 billion for transportation infrastructure.
This has been my point all the while- Trump weaponized HBCUs so they could be used to defend his racism. Period.
Here is the full plan.
So, what did he propose for HBCUs? Under the subheading, “Advance U.S. leadership in critical technologies and upgrade America’s research infrastructure” the plan says
His plan also will invest $40 billion in upgrading research infrastructure in laboratories across the country, including brick-and-mortar facilities and computing capabilities and networks… Half of those funds will be reserved for Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions, including the creation of a new national lab focused on climate that will be affiliated with an HBCU.
Note- this money, $20 billion, is for HBCUs AND MSIs. So not just HBCUs.
Under the subheading, “Eliminate racial and gender inequities in research and development and science, technology, engineering, and math” the plan says
President Biden is calling on Congress to make a $10 billion R&D investment at HBCUs and other MSIs. He also is calling on Congress to invest $15 billion in creating up to 200 centers of excellence that serve as research incubators at HBCUs and other MSIs to provide graduate fellowships and other opportunities for underserved populations, including through pre-college programs.
Note again- $10 billion and $15 billion for “HBCUs and other MSIs.”
$20 + $10 + $15 = $45 billion.
In sum, Biden called on CONGRESS to invest $45 billion into HBCUs and MSIs for R&D and technologies of the future. This money was not budgeted already (Cynthia, Trump had not given anything), and was not solely for HBCUs (which was one of the arguments the HBCU community was making if you take time to read the AP story).
Fifth and final point. Nobody thinks anymore. If 103 HBCUs were splitting $45 billion, do you think we would have the financial needs we have now? I mean really, even if the split was even, you’re talking $463 million apiece. My annual budget at Dillard was about $40 million. With even a one-time appropriation of $463 million I could endow it, spend 5%, and tuition would be free forever- like Berea.
You see how silly Cynthia’s tweet is (and all the others pushing the same narrative?)
Below is the recently voted on omnibus bill.
If HBCUs were receiving $45 billion, it would be more than:
- The $25.5 billion for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
- The $38.7 billion for the Department of Justice
- The $25.4 billion for NASA
- The $16.7 billion for Customs and Border Protection
- The $9.3 billion for TSA
- The $10.1 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency
The entire Department of Education gets $79.6 billion, so if you believe Trump gave HBCUs $45 billion, you believe HBCUs got 56% of the money for all K-12, adult education, student financial aid, and the rest of higher education.
Stop sharing this article. Stop saying HBCUs had $45 billion in funding cut.
Stop being lazy.
Walter
