UTRGV, STC respond to federal grant, loan freeze

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two institutions in the Rio Grande Valley are responding to the White House order to pause federal financial assistance.

Although the pause is temporarily blocked, it has received responses from students questioning whether the order will affect their financial support and access to education.

According to the Associated Press, the pause was deemed "necessary" by President Donald Trump's administration.

Administration officials say the pause will ensure that federal funding complies with Trump's executive orders, which were issued on his first day in office.

Trump's signed executive orders that discuss immigration, border security, health care and LGBT policies.

South Texas College and the University of Rio Grande Valley have responded to the White House federal freeze.

UTRGV

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley released a statement on the grant Tuesday afternoon, an hour before a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's admin freeze.

The statement was released on UTRGV Students, a Facebook group for students and alumni to share and connect school-related information.

A member of the student group wrote, "Will the federal grant and loan freeze affect student aid and our university?"

UTRGV responded with the following statement:

UTRGV is aware of the recent announcement regarding the federal government's temporary pause on federal grants and loans as it conducts a comprehensive review of its spending policies.

At this time, there is limited information on how this decision may impact our campus community. However, based on the latest guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Title IV funding (such as student financial aid) will not be affected by the pause. As we receive more information from federal agencies, we will promptly communicate any updates that may affect our campus community.

Please know that our priority remains to support our students, faculty, and staff and to ensure they continue to have access to the resources they need.

STC

South Texas College released a statement Tuesday afternoon regarding the financial assistance pause.

We want to assure our STC community that this does not impact federal student loans or Pell grants. As of now, there will be no disruptions to educational funding for our students.

STC will continue to monitor and provide updates if any changes occur.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.