Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has joined her counterparts in sixteen states in calling on Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to release $6.8 billion in funding that was scheduled for distribution on July 1.
Although Congress voted in March to extend the prior year’s funding levels government-wide for the next fiscal year, an email sent by the Department of Education (DOE) on June 30, according to reporting from EdWeek, outlined several public education programs that would not be receiving funding in accordance with the expected timeline.
Impacted programs were said to include those that support the children of migrant agricultural workers under Title I-C, as well as those who are learning the English language under Title III-A. The total value of funds frozen for this programs were $375 million and $890 million respectively.
$2.2 billion in Title II-A funding for professional development was also held, alongside $1.3 billion in Title IV-A funding for academic enrichment and $1.4 billion in Title IV-B funding for before- and after-school programs, particularly in “high-poverty and low-performing schools.”
“Decisions have not been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year,” the email reportedly said. “Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.”
All five of these programs had previously been flagged for cuts by President Donald Trump (R) in his so-called “Skinny Budget” for fiscal year 2026.
According to NPR, the DOE’s message to state officials said that the agency “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.”
A spokesperson from the DOE has reportedly directed all questions regarding the held funding to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Details have not been released regarding the timeline for reviewing the funding that has been withheld for the current fiscal year.
Maine’s Gov. Mills joined sixteen governors Thursday in sending a letter to the DOE asking for the funding to be released.
“By withholding these education funds, the president and his Administration are abandoning their responsibility to our students and harming families across our state,” said Mills.
“I am proud to join with my fellow governors to demand the release of this lawful, bipartisan funding, to prevent Maine schools from cutting critical programs and ensure that our next generation can reach their full potential,” she said.
“This delay is not a matter of administrative discretion; it is a failure to fulfill the Department’s most basic responsibility to implement the law and distribute Congressionally-appropriated funding,” the governors wrote in their letter.
“It places an undue burden on schools, community colleges, and adult education providers,” they continued. “More importantly, it robs students of opportunities they are entitled to under federal statute.”
A press release from the governor’s office indicates that an estimated $27.6 million worth of federal funding has not yet been released to the state.
