Jon Ossoff Accused of ‘Broken Promises’ Over HBCU Funding Vote
James Swafford
Dome Politics
January 19, 2026
Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has repeatedly stated that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) can rely on him as an ally and that he will advocate for them in the Senate. However, when presented with the opportunity to send them $500 million, the Senator voted otherwise.
In March of 2025, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution (HR) 1968… it also enabled the Trump Administration to allocate $500 million in additional funding to HBCUs.
HR 1968 eventually moved to the Senate, where it passed with a tally of 54-46. Sen. Ossoff voted against it.
The Senator issued a statement on X, explaining why he voted against it, writing, “The House bill irresponsibly fails to impose any constraints on the reckless and out-of-control Trump administration.”
…
Detractors argue that Ossoff has a reputation for saying one thing and doing something different. For example, the Senator openly promoted and supported HR 5371, which is another Continuing Appropriations bill, but he voted against its final passage.
In December 2024, the Senator voted in favor of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act and took credit for its inclusion of military pay raises. However, three months later, the Senator voted against a continuing resolution that included the very same military pay raises.
Read more here.
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