WASHINGTON (WDNews) —
The U.S. Department of Education will release $1.3 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, days after a group of Republican senators urged the Trump administration to lift a funding freeze. The decision was confirmed Friday by a senior official speaking to the
AP
on condition of anonymity.
The money comes from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program and supports free care before and after school, summer learning, and tutoring in reading, math, science, and the arts. Many of the programs also provide child care for working families, especially in rural or low-income areas.
The freeze, announced July 1, affected more than $6 billion in education grants, including money for English language learning, adult literacy, and teacher training. The Trump administration said the pause was part of a spending review to ensure funding matched White House priorities.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the Office of Management and Budget, 10 Republican senators—led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.—called for the funds to be released. “We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,” the senators wrote. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”
Jodi Grant, executive director of the nonprofit Afterschool Alliance, told the
AP
that the freeze caused widespread confusion and forced some programs to prepare for closure. “While we are thrilled the funds will be made available,” Grant said, “the administration’s inexplicable delay in disbursing them caused massive chaos and harm.”
More than 20 states filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the $6 billion freeze. The suit, led by California, argues that withholding the already-approved funding is unconstitutional and would harm low-income families who rely on these programs.
David Schuler, executive director of AASA, a national group for school superintendents, also criticized the delay. “Districts should not be in this impossible position where the Administration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our public schools, by Congress,” he said in a statement. “The remaining funds must be released immediately — America’s children are counting on it.”
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., added Friday that the rest of the money must follow. “At this very moment, schools nationwide are crunching the numbers to figure out how many teachers they will need to lay off as Trump continues to hold up billions in funding,” she said. “Every penny of this funding must flow immediately.”
