Whereas the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program was originally authorized on September 27, 2007, by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007; Whereas 2023 marks the 16th anniversary of the establishment of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions by Congress; Whereas Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions are degree-granting postsecondary institutions that have an undergraduate enrollment of no less than 10 percent Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students; Whereas the purpose of the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program is to improve the availability and quality of postsecondary education programs to serve Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students; Whereas, since 2007, over 260 colleges and universities have been eligible as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions throughout the United States, including the United States territories in the Pacific; Whereas, today, there are currently 206 eligible Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions operating in the United States, including the United States territories in the Pacific; Whereas, as of the 2022–2023 academic year, 58 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions are or have been funded in the United States, including the United States territories in the Pacific; Whereas Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions are of critical importance, as they enroll, support, and graduate large proportions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander college students, the majority of whom are overwhelmingly from families with low incomes and are first-generation college students