Trump administration releases billions in frozen education grant money

The Trump administration has released more than $6 billion in federal funding for school programs after pausing the grants at the beginning of July and spurring panic in educators.

The administration suspended the funding on July 1 as it examined whether the money was being spent in a way that aligned with its priorities. The Education Department said last week it would release $1.3 billion for afterschool and summer programs.

The department said Friday its review is complete, and money will start being sent to states next week.

“The programs are ones that enjoy long standing, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education,” Sen. Shelley Moore Captio, West Virginia Republican, said Friday. “That’s why it’s important we continue to protect and support these programs.”

Ms. Capito and a group of her Republican colleagues sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought advocating for the funds to be released to the states.

The withheld grants were for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, and adult literacy. Another questioned program included teacher development instruction, among others.

The freeze was challenged not only by lawmakers, but also through several lawsuits. OMB argued some of the programs supported a “radical leftwing agenda.”

The funds had been expected to be disbursed on July 1, the same as every year.

Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, led her Democratic colleagues to write a letter of their own demanding the funds be released.

“Instead of spending the last many weeks figuring out how to improve after-school options and get our kids’ reading and math scores up, because of President Trump, communities across the country have been forced to spend their time cutting back on tutoring options and sorting out how many teachers they will have to lay off,” Ms. Murray said in a statement.

“There is no good reason for the chaos and stress this president has inflicted on students, teachers, and parents across America for the last month, and it shouldn’t take widespread blowback for this administration to do its job and simply get the funding out the door that Congress has delivered to help students,” she said.

Educators warned that the programs would have to be shut down, affecting kids and families.