Chris Van Hollen: “I would just say to the chairman of the HELP Committee that I believe the best judge of what is good for HBCUs is HBCUs…”

“I would just say to the chairman of the HELP Committee that I believe the best judge of what is good for HBCUs is HBCUs themselves. They have asked the Senate to act immediately on the legislation that passed the House unanimously on a voice vote. So while we all would like to work toward comprehensive reform and reauthorization of higher education, there is no need to wait on this provision that is sitting in the Senate. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the letters we received from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and from the UNCF, both organizations that advocate on behalf of HBCUs. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Re Title III Part-F Funding to HBCUs and MSIs Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Washington, DC, October 14, 2019. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate. Hon. Lamar Alexander, Chair, U.S. Senate HELP Committee. Hon. Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader, U.S. Senate. Hon. Patty Murray, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate HELP Committee. Dear Senators: We are sincerely disappointed that the Senate did not pass the FUTURE Act prior to the September 30th deadline to prevent the Title Ill Part-F program from expiring. While it is true that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are funded through the academic school year ending in April 2020, the expiration of this program as set forth in the plain language of 20 U.S.C. Sec.…”