Trump Moves to Cut Federal Grants, End DEI in Higher Ed Overhaul

Without a Pell Grant and federal student aid, Aysa Seraphin may have never had the opportunity to step foot on a college campus.

Seraphin isn't alone. This is the case for many South Florida students who are worried about affording school if federal assistance is frozen.

“I immediately had concerns because my plan for the summer is to study abroad, and according to the education study abroad department, they said my financial aid will help me cover all the expenses,” Seraphin, a senior marketing major at Florida Atlantic University. “Without it, I didn't know what I was going to do.”

On Jan. 28, the Trump administration announced a freeze on federal funding. A federal judge blocked the proposal to withhold federal grants, which would have affected financial aid and Pell Grant distributions for college students.

“I believe it would force many students to drop out or take more debt, making college less accessible and widening the education gap,” said Brittany Pepe, a communications graduate student at Florida International University.

The Trump administration has entered its second term, enacting significant changes affecting education and financial aid. Tuesday, Feb.18, the administration gave universities two weeks to remove programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or face funding cuts, causing growing concern within the education field.

The push to reduce federal spending has gained traction among government officials, with some calling for the elimination of the Department of Education. In early February, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos advocated for the department to be closed down and Florida Sen. Rick Scott called for it to be shut down last fall. President Trump has made it clear that he wants Linda McMahon, who is up for the Education Secretary position, to deconstruct the department.

On Feb. 10, Federal Judge John J. McConnell Jr. accused the Trump Administration of ignoring his order to release billions in federal grant funding, showing that they are still looking to freeze the federal assistance.

For years, this financial assistance has provided essential support to students, providing access to higher education for generations. According to the Education Data Initiative, approximately 489,472 recipients in Florida qualified for Pell Grants in 2023, with the average award amounting to $5,049 per recipient. In the 2022-23 school year, 31.6 percent of undergraduate students benefited from a Pell grant, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The administration’s proposal has sparked fear nationwide. While no official cuts have been made yet, the possibility of losing this critical federal assistance that many rely on left many students anxious about their future.  

The FAU Division of Research released a statement via email on Jan. 28 after many took to the university, searching for answers.

“Currently, FAU has not received any ‘stop work orders’ or cancellation of any of our awards. We recommend that faculty continue working on their active projects. We anticipate that new awards and continuations will be delayed, as well as payments to the University, which we will monitor. That is all the information we have so far,” said Dr. Kevin Wagner, Associate Dean of Research for the College of Arts and Letters. 

Following the court ruling blocking the proposed freeze, financial aid advisors also emailed students to provide reassurance, emphasizing that their funding would not be impacted.

“The Federal Aid freeze has been rescinded, and financial aid will not be affected,” said Yessennia Arocho, a Scholarship Financial Aid Coordinator at FAU. 

Sheryl Delbridge, a senator in FAU’s Student Government, found herself especially relieved once more information about the executive order and its ramifications became clear later in the week of Jan. 28.

“This announcement seriously did scare me because I am getting financial aid and Pell Grants, and with the freeze, I was wondering how I will continue my education because this is what I use primarily to pay for all of my classes,” Delbridge said. “Luckily for me my disbursement came weeks before this whole thing took place so I was blessed by that.”

Universities remain on edge about what the future of higher education will look like. The war on DEI rages on, and although judges have blocked attempts to freeze federal assistance, the Trump administration shows no signs of changing course. 

“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful,” Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman said in a statement to various news organizations. “Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.”