During a House Agriculture Committee hearing last week, Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) questioned Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on the pausing of USDA grants for historically Black land grant schools.
00:00Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Gentleman yields back now. Please recognize the gentleman from Alabama. Mr. Figures for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Secretary Rollins, pleasure to meet you. My feelings are hurt that I was not one of the cool kids that got to come over in the early days. We'll fix that. Of you coming on board. But I appreciate you being here. Also appreciate your staff getting you ready for this. I've been in their shoes before and preparing an executive branch official.
00:30A cabinet agency head for this sort of testimony. So it's a lot of work. It is. It is indeed. I represent Alabama, the second congressional district of Alabama, which includes Mobile, Montgomery, Tuskegee, Troy, Phoenix City, and a bunch of other places I'm sure you've never heard of. But within it is Tuskegee, formerly the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, one of the land grant colleges. We also have Alabama A&M University in the state of Alabama, another
01:00land grant college. And given USDA's history, particularly in the state of Alabama, one of my colleagues earlier mentioned how some of the about 50% of the black farmer litigation settlement money is coming to Alabama, there's a sensitivity there.
01:16Just given historical race relations with USDA, obviously that predated you and how USDA treats minority communities, particularly in the state of Alabama.
01:26And so through that lens, the suspension of the land grant scholars program was something that resonated a little bit differently, I think, for us in Alabama.
01:36And I just in looking at a timeline, I look, trust me, I want to I want to grill you on the things that I think you're fully responsible for and praise you for things as well.
01:47But looking at the timeline, I I kind of doubt it was you that made that full decision and pushed that full process, just given when you were confirmed, when the suspension was announced, when the suspension was reversed.
01:58And so I want to get to a little bit of the bottom of how we got there, because that really impacted a lot of students across the country, especially at Tuskegee University.
02:09And that university has done a lot in terms of ag. We know the history of George Washington Carver and what they've meant.
02:13So my question to you is first twofold. One, the 1862 schools also have the same land grant scholar program. Is that correct?
02:27I believe that's correct, but I want to confirm that.
02:29All right. Thank you. And it's also my understanding that when the 1890 land grant scholar program was paused, that funding was paused, that it was not paused for the 1862 schools.
02:42Is that your understanding of it? I need to, I need to research that. I'm so sorry. I don't have that off the top of my head.
02:47Got it. No problem. Um, media reports and what was uploaded on the website indicates as much.
02:52And so given that history that I just alluded to, it feels, it, it, it, it feels bad.
02:59We've had some people talk about identity politics, but it feels that when you have the 1862 schools, which are the Texas A&Ms and the LSUs, historically white,
03:09when they were established segregated institutions, their funding is not touched.
03:15But then you have the 1890s, which were all historically black colleges that stood up post civil war, their funding was stopped.
03:23That feels problematic based on identity. Um, and that was something that we, that we, you know, obviously took issue with and it was reversed within five days.
03:31But I feel like looking at that timeline, that that was something that was already in motion before you were confirmed.
03:37Um, and so my question is, was that a product of doge or was that the product of like, how did we get there?
03:42I guess is the first question.
03:43And, and, and I, I wish I knew the, the, the, the answer to that, um, because it was before my time.
03:49But, but I will say this, that I was in the first Trump administration.
03:54We were the first administration to guarantee full funding for the HPC.
04:00And I'm not questioning your commitment to them.
04:01No, but I just want to make sure that we don't end up there with some future funding.
04:04Yeah. No, sir. I appreciate that. And, and I, I take it to heart and I understand the optics. Um, I do.
04:12And I think it's important to note that this administration is very committed to those universities and have been unequivocal in saying so.
04:20Well, I appreciate it. I don't want to cut you off. I just want to capitalize on my last 45 seconds here.
04:24But thank you for that. And definitely want to work towards making sure that that does not happen again, because it feels very racially motivated when the.
04:31I can promise you it was not racially motivated.
04:34I think it was just an imperfect process, um, that was.
04:37Well, I, I, I can appreciate that. I can appreciate that.
04:40Last thing, um, that I have time for, and I'll follow up with you on some other things, because I would love to sit down with you, is rural hospitals in my district are among the worst in the country.
04:49We have 26 rural hospitals in the state of Alabama that have been rated at risk of closure.
04:54We have 22 that are rated at immediate risk of closure.
04:57Um, we have several in my district that are month to month.
05:00They have to go borrow money or get money from the city council or county commission every single month,
05:04just to be able to make payroll.
05:05Yeah.
05:06We need help with that to keep these communities open.
05:08They support our farmers.
05:09They support the industries that's left in our rural communities.
05:12And I really want to sit down with you and figure out ways we can leverage the programs that you guys have to support, uh,
05:17rural hospitals to keep them open in my district and across the state in this country.
05:20I can't tell you how important I think that is.
05:22And I think we talk a lot about farming and agriculture.
05:24That is the driver, but the rural piece of this and having thriving rural communities.
05:29You can't do that without the hospitals, the housing, the childcare, et cetera.
05:33So I am very focused on this for the longterm.
