Continuing Appropriations Act, and Health Extenders Act of

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, let's stop playing games with critical funding for minority serving institutions or MSIs.

Mandatory funding expires on September 30, just days from now.

If that funding isn't reauthorized, MSIs will collectively face a $255 million annual shortfall.

That will impact these institutions' academic programs, ability to provide housing to students, renovate facilities, and provide critical counseling and other student supports.

In 2018, Illinois received $5.3 million of this funding, which supported city colleges in Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago State, the University of Illinois, and other institutions around our State.

Recently, the House of Representatives passed the FUTURE Act to reauthorize this funding.

Unfortunately, the passage of this bipartisan bill has been blocked in the Senate.

This is a great example of what frustrates the American people so much about Congress.

We have a bipartisan bill that passed the House by voice vote and that maintains funding for institutions of higher education that enroll 6 million students, of which two of three are students of color.

But it is being held up, and we are unnecessarily creating a crisis.

Let's stop the games.

Let's show America that we can come together.

Let's pass the FUTURE Act now.

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Mr. DURBIN. Warren) are necessarily absent.

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Mr. DURBIN. Warren) are necessarily absent.

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