It’s no surprise that National Public Radio (NPR) has been rallying its audience against President Donald Trump’s budget cuts, painting them as an attack on vulnerable institutions. A recent example is its coverage of Haskell Indian Nations University, a small Native American college in Kansas, where budget reductions have reportedly led to staff layoffs.
NPR’s reporting focuses on the school’s women’s basketball team and claims that a quarter of its staff—who were probationary federal employees—were dismissed due to the cuts. However, the coverage omits key details that would provide a clearer picture of why these funding reductions might be in the best interest of both taxpayers and students.
A lawsuit has now been filed in an attempt to force Trump to restore funding to the university. The case, Pueblo of Isleta et. al v. Secretary of the Department of the Interior, et. al (Case No. 1:25-cv-00696-AHA), argues that the federal government violated an 1884 Indian treaty by implementing the budget cuts without consulting tribal leaders.
The student plaintiffs—Ella Bowen, Kaiya Brown, Danielle Ledesma, Victor Organista, and Aiyanna Tanyan—are represented by Matthew Lee Campbell of the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, Colorado. Two additional attorneys, Jacqueline De Leon and Malia Gesuale, have sought to join the case Pro Hac Vice. The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Amir Ali, a 2024 Biden appointee.
NPR presents the situation as yet another “broken promise” to Native Americans, echoing concerns raised by tribal members.
“That it would be affected by these executive actions and cuts in budgets, you know, add it to the list of broken promises,” said Bo Schneider, a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, in an interview with NPR.
The 54-page, eight-count complaint argues that students are unable to make progress toward their degrees due to the funding cuts.
However, public records paint a different picture of Haskell’s academic standing. The university has long struggled with low graduation rates, with figures ranging between 9% and 30% over the years—far below national averages.
A Closer Look at Haskell’s Academic Record
Haskell University operates tuition-free for Native American and Alaskan Native students from federally recognized tribes, relying entirely on taxpayer funding through the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).
Despite being located in Lawrence, Kansas, home to the University of Kansas (KU)—where 66% of students graduate—Haskell’s graduation rates remain alarmingly low.
The university offers four bachelor’s degrees:
- B.A. in Indigenous and American Indian Studies
- B.S. in Business Administration
- B.S. in Elementary Education
- B.S. in Environmental Science
A degree in Indigenous and American Indian Studies yields an average early-career salary of $31,645, while some graduates of Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies report median earnings of just $24,500.
Given these figures, the actual financial impact of the budget cuts on students appears minimal—especially considering that many degrees offered by Haskell lead to low-income job prospects.
Federal Funding and Budget Context
Haskell operates under the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which received $1.5 billion in the 2025 budget proposal—a $119.5 million increase over 2024. However, specific funding allocations for Haskell remain undisclosed.
With an enrollment of only 918 students from 153 tribal nations, Haskell’s size is significantly smaller than the average U.S. college enrollment of 6,354 students.
The broader debate over federal funding for Native American education continues, but the case of Haskell University raises a critical question: Are taxpayers truly benefiting from continued funding for institutions with low graduation rates and degrees that often lead to financial hardship?
While NPR’s narrative frames this as another chapter in the “Trail of Tears”, a closer look suggests that the Trump administration’s budget cuts may not be the crisis that activists and left-wing media outlets claim.
