In the News
Voted No and Took the Dough: Florida Republicans Voted Against Critical Funding for Higher Education
One year ago this week, every single congressional Republican in Florida voted against critical funding for the state’s colleges and universities in the American Rescue Plan
Ahead of Friday’s one year anniversary of President Joe Biden signing the American Rescue Plan into law, new data from the Department of Education shows that Florida received nearly $2.4 billion in critical funding for the state’s colleges and universities – no thanks to a single Republican member of Florida’s congressional delegation, which unanimously voted against the relief law.
Governor Ron DeSantis also vehemently opposed the American Rescue Plan, before immediately turning around and claiming those funds for nearly every aspect of his budget, including the gas tax break and $1,000 bonuses for teachers and police officers.
According to the Department of Education, examples of key investments in Florida higher education from the American Rescue Plan include:
- $163 million for community colleges in Florida – including Hillsborough CC, Tallahassee CC, Erwin Technical College, Sheridan Technical College, and Manatee Technical College
- $156 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Florida – including Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Edward Waters College, and Florida Memorial University
- $1.1 billion for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in Florida – including Miami Dade College, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Valencia College, and Broward College
- Millions more for the University of South Florida ($102 million), the University of Florida ($87 million), and Florida State University ($80 million)
“The American Rescue Plan’s higher education funding is a no-brainer. We owe it to our young people to prepare them for the real world by investing in them and their education, which is precisely what the American Rescue Plan is doing,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz. “It is mind-boggling that the Governor and every single Florida Republican in Congress opposed it. Voters should remember that when people needed help, Democrats delivered – while Republicans played politics and left students hanging.”
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