A group of 38 senators sent a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on them to pass the FUTURE Act.
The FUTURE Act would renew $255 million in mandatory federal funding for minority serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, for two years. The bipartisan legislation passed the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate, which caused the funding to expire on Sept. 30.
The letter’s signers include Senators Kamal Harris, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
“The bipartisan FUTURE Act will allow HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs across the country to keep their doors open and continue to generate more opportunities for their students, disproportionate percentages of whom are for the low-income students and students of color,” the letter reads. “This funding stream plays a vital role in increasing institutional capacity at MSIs and in generating more opportunities for students of color to attain degrees in STEM fields and secure good-paying jobs, generating a strong economic impact.”
