Education Secretary Miguel Cardona criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action as a setback for higher education.

Speaking at the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, Cardona condemned the court’s willingness to disregard precedent and stated that colleges had lost a crucial tool for building diverse campus communities.

“This majority has repeatedly shown a willingness to throw precedent out the window,” Cardona said at the event. “Now, we’re faced with a decision that threatens to take us backwards.”

In response to the ruling, he announced a $45 million postsecondary student success competition to support underrepresented students’ graduation from college. Cardona also advocated reimagining college recruitment, expanding need-based aid, and resolving credit transfer issues.