By James Kwon
NAP Contributor
U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-New York), Chair of the U.S. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ), Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion on the constitutionality of the U.S. Department of Education’s Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) Program. Pursuant to the opinion, the Education Department will no longer operate such programs.
“Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) have helped millions of students including roughly one-third of all undergraduates achieve a higher education. It is one of the most reliable pathways to join the middle class and secure economic mobility. Their impact is magnified in our community with Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) enrolling nearly half of all Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander undergraduate students, the majority of whom are low-income and first-generation.
“By terminating funding for MSIs, the current administration is denying countless students a fair shot at the American dream. It is a slap in the face to our parents, grandparents, and the generations before them. They sacrificed so much to create better opportunities for their children. CAPAC will not give up the fight to ensure that high-quality, public education remains affordable and accessible to students from every background.”
Background:
The U.S. Department of Education will no longer operate the following programs after the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion that they are unconstitutional: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program, predominantly Black institutions Formula Grants, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program, developing Hispanic-serving institutions, promoting post-baccalaureate opportunities for Hispanic Americans, Hispanic-serving institutions STEM programs, and Native American-serving non-tribal institutions.
The chairs of the U.S. Congressional Tri-Caucus—U.S. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (NY), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY)—released a joint statement in response to the current administration’s termination of grants for hundreds of colleges and universities that serve large minority student populations.
CAPAC Chair Meng, along with U.S. Chair Emerita Judy Chu (CA), U.S. First Vice Chair Mark Takano (CA), and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (HI), also introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Week in 2025.
