A group of ten Republican senators, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging that $6.8 billion worth of frozen federal education funding, originally scheduled for distribution on July 1, be immediately released.
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.”
President Donald Trump (R) had previously flagged all five of these programs for cuts or elimination 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.
A group of ten Republican senators, including Sen. Collins, published an open letter to OMB director Russell Vought earlier this week urging the Trump Administration to end the freeze on this funding.
Senators signing onto this letter in addition to Collins include Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia), Sen. John Boozman (Arkansas), Sen. Katie Britt (Alabama), Sen. Deb Fischer (Nebraska), Sen. John Hoeven (North Dakota), Sen. Jim Justice (West Virginia), Sen. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Sen. Mike Rounds (South Dakota).
“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.”
“These funds go to support programs that enjoy longstanding, 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,” they explained.
“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the senators continued. “This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families.”
“Withholding this funding denies states and communities the opportunity to pursue localized initiatives to support students and their families,” they argued.
