Trump Cuts Funding for Research on Indigenous Genocide

Understanding Indigenous Boarding Schools

In both the United States and Canada, Indigenous children were systematically removed from their families and placed in government-funded boarding schools. The boarding schools were not just unjust and cruel, it was a method of genocide. Removing children from their parents, forced relocation, and cultural suppression are key components of the definition of genocide.

These institutions openly operated under the doctrine of cultural genocide, epitomized by the infamous slogan: “Kill the Indian, save the man.” The stated aim was assimilation, but the means—forced separation, punishment for speaking native languages, and chronic neglect—led to untold suffering and death.

The scale of this tragedy is immense. In the United States, 536 federally recognized Indian boarding schools operated from the 1860s through the 20th century, with some still functioning today. By 1925, nearly 83% of school-aged Native children—approximately 61,000 individuals—were enrolled. While exact figures remain elusive due to incomplete and destroyed records, it is likely that more than 150,000 children passed through these schools, paralleling the numbers in Canada.

As of now, only 973 children’s remains have been found in the United States. Many of the former school sites remain unexplored, their cemeteries unmarked, their records sealed or scattered. Survivors and their descendants continue to live with intergenerational trauma, while the nation as a whole struggles with how to reconcile with a past so deliberately buried.

Research Projects Come to a Halt as Funding is Cut

In Canada, recent discoveries using ground-penetrating radar revealed over 1,300 unmarked graves at just four residential schools, but the official death toll of over 130 schools combined is just 4,120. Early 20th-century Canadian government documents estimated that 25% of all children sent to residential schools died—primarily of tuberculosis, but also due to abuse, malnutrition, and neglect.

While the United States has yet to mount a national effort comparable to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, early initiatives had begun to uncover similar horrors. However, these efforts were recently derailed when the Trump administration abruptly cut $1.6 million in federal grants earmarked for research and documentation of Indian boarding school abuses. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), under guidance from the administration, canceled grants that would have digitized historical records and supported oral history projects crucial for truth and reconciliation.

Among the most affected was the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), which lost over $282,000 in funding that was to support the digitization of more than 100,000 documents. The organization had been working to locate unmarked graves, preserve survivor testimony, and bring public awareness to the lasting trauma these schools inflicted on Native communities.

The NEH cited shifting “needs and priorities” to justify the cuts, aligning with broader Trump-era efforts to curtail government spending on cultural and educational programs. Yet critics argue that the cost savings were negligible compared to the importance of acknowledging historical injustices. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) called the move “a profound betrayal of trust and truth,” stating that it not only halted critical preservation work but also sent a message that Indigenous histories are not worth preserving.

The Trump administration’s rollback of funding has significantly delayed what might be one of the most vital historical reckonings in American history. Restoring this research is not just about history—it is about justice, healing, and ensuring that such atrocities are never repeated.