It should come as no surprise that National Public Radio has been propagandizing its aging leftist listeners against the Trump budget cuts, highlighting supposed abuses.
One such recent example is a profile of the Women’s Basketball team at Haskell University, a small college for Native Americans in Kansas. The coverage of the controversy complains about an alleged quarter of its staff who are laid off because they are probationary employees of the federal government.
NPR’s coverage of the University highlights its positives, but omits key details and context that would give its readers a better perspective on why these cuts might be in the best interests of taxpayers and even the students involved.
A lawsuit has been filed to force Trump to fund the Indian college. The federal government funds the college as part of an 1884 Indian treaty.
The case is styled as Pueblo of Isleta et. al v. Secretary of the Department of the Interior, et. al, case number 1:25-cv-00696-AHA . The student plaintiffs are Ella Bowen, Kaiya Brown, Danielle Ledesma, Victor Organista, and Aiyanna Tanyan. Their attorney is Matthew Lee Campbell of the Native American Rights Fund, out of Boulder, Colorado. Two other attorneys have applied to enter the case Pro Hac Vice: Jacqueline De Leon and Malia Gesuale. The case has been assigned to federal Judge Amir Ali, a 2024 Biden appointee.
The complaint primarily concerns the fact that the various Indian tribes were not consulted prior to the budget cuts.
NPR makes it seem like this is another step in the trail of tears for America’s native population.
“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, to National Public Radio.
The 54 page, 8 count legal complaint, which includes four students as plaintiffs, complains that they aren’t able to make progress towards their degrees.
However, public records and data suggest that few were likely to ever graduate, because the college has such an awful academic record that 9-30% of the students are likely to graduate.
Hellbound and Down 