NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee is home to several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Fisk University and Tennessee State University.
Several HBCUs like them rely on federal funding that both parties in Washington agree on.
But gridlock between two competing bills has stalled future funding for the schools.
House Democrats are proposing a short term fix: guaranteeing an annual payment of $225 million in federal funding for two years.
But House Republicans are pushing a larger plan: it would include permanent funding for HBCUs, but it also contains other proposals, like simplifying the forms students fill out to get financial aid, and increasing the number of students who qualify for Pell grants.
So far though, both sides have dug in their heels -- with jobs and programs at risk by next October -- unless congress eventually approves more funding.
