The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities is among the organizations calling on Congress and the Administration to protect and fully fund Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs).
HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores was in Washington, D.C., for the Association’s 31st Capitol Forum on Higher Education. He spoke at Sen. Mazie K. Hirono’s press conference on April 22, 2026. Also speaking were Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Juan Vargas, and Rep. Danny K. Davis. Speakers from LatinoJustice PRLDEF, other education and civil rights organizations, and students also participated.
Flores and other speakers stressed the importance of MSI programs, which face potential funding elimination under the Administration’s proposed FY2027 budget. Congress has funded MSI programs nationwide in a bipartisan effort for decades, and removing this funding would negatively affect millions of students and the higher education institutions that serve them.
Hispanic-Serving Institution programs have long had bipartisan backing and are not a new or partisan initiative, Flores said. Congress established the program in 1992 with support from both parties. Flores addressed claims that the administration is constitutionally obligated to dismantle HSI and other MSI programs, saying such arguments conflict with congressional authority.
“HSIs are not peripheral to our higher education system — they are central to America’s workforce pipeline,” Flores said. “These institutions are training the teachers, the engineers, healthcare workers, and small business leaders our economy depends on.”
More than 600 HSIs enroll about one-third of U.S. college students and play a key role in preparing the nation’s workforce, with continued investment essential to economic strength.
Related: HACU releases 2026 Legislative Agenda
To view images from the event, click here.
