'President's priorities': Trump administration holds back $7 bn school funds meant for learning, training

The Trump administration has withheld nearly $7 billion in federal education funding that supports after-school and summer programmes, English language learning, teacher training, and other essential services.

According to The New York Times report, the funds were expected to be released by Tuesday.

However, in an email sent on Monday, the US Department of Education informed states that the money would not be made available as scheduled, added the report.

The administration offered minimal explanation, saying only that the funding is under review.

No timeline was provided for when, or if, the funds would be released. A brief statement said the administration is “committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president’s priorities,” reported NYT.

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The frozen funds are not connected to the domestic policy bill that narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday, which includes separate cuts to various programmes.

Move likely to face legal challenges

“It’s catastrophic,” NYT quoted Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, a group that works to expand after-school services for students, as saying.

She estimated that the roughly $1.3 billion in federal funding for after-school and summer programmes each year supports around 1.4 million students, primarily from low-income families, accounting for about 20% of all students enrolled in such programmes nationwide.

According to the report, the decision is likely to face legal challenges and has already drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and teachers’ unions, who argue it is unlawful.

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They note that the funds were appropriated by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March as part of a larger funding package.

“This is lawless,” NYT quoted Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, as saying.

The Trump administration has aggressively sought to shrink the federal role in education, even proposing to eliminate the Education Department, though only Congress has the power to do so.

In the meantime, it has slashed staffing and funding across the board.

Permanent cut in funds?

Officials have hinted at plans to permanently eliminate the nearly $7 billion in frozen education funds, reported NYT.

During a Senate hearing last week, White House budget director Russell Vought said the administration is exploring a process called “rescission” to formally request Congress revoke the funds. Even without a congressional vote, the request would freeze the money until it eventually expires.

“No decision has been made,” Vought was quoted as saying.

The freeze on education funds has left school districts scrambling just weeks before classes resume. The uncertainty threatens after-school programmes, support for English learners, teacher training, and mental health services.

According to NYT report, in rural Umatilla, Oregon, Superintendent Heidi Sipe warned parents to make backup plans, noting her federally funded after-school programme runs until 5:30 pm but has no local alternatives.

In Omaha, Nicole Everingham of Collective for Youth said reduced funding would force cuts in after-school slots and staffing across 42 public schools.

Even a delayed release of funds could disrupt hiring and planning, leaving working families in limbo. “It completely puts us in flux,” NYT quoted Everingham as saying.

Districts like Oxnard, California, also rely on federal dollars to support non-English-speaking families. “Without this outreach, families… could be cut off from schools,” Superintendent Ana DeGenna told NYT.

Many of the affected programmes, like the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, have enjoyed bipartisan support for decades.

Still, most criticism of the freeze has come from Democrats.

“Every day that this funding is held up is a day that school districts are forced to worry about whether they’ll have to cut back on after-school programs or lay off teachers instead of worrying about how to make sure our kids can succeed,” Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat who is the vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

With inputs from agencies