Senate Republicans Push for School Funding Release

WASHINGTON – A Republican senator from the U.S. Senate has called on Budget Director Russ Vought to release $6.8 billion in K-12 funding that has been withheld by the Trump administration. In a letter sent on Wednesday, the senator highlighted the pressing need for these funds as states continue to face financial challenges in education.

This letter exemplifies a significant conflict within the Trump administration, especially between President Donald Trump and influential members of his own party. The funds had already been appropriated by Congress, yet states are left waiting, impacting millions of school budgets due to the funding freeze.

The timing of the letter was notable, as it followed a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the administration to implement considerable layoffs and to pursue a significant reduction of the Department of Education, a plan initiated by Trump earlier in the year.

Just a day before the usual funding disbursement date of July 1, the Education Department announced that it would hold back various essential programs, such as after-school activities, immigration education, and English learning resources.

“Withholding these funds will hurt students, families, and local economies,” stated ten GOP senators, including Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia and chair of the Senate Budget Committee on Labor, Health and Welfare, Education and Related Institutions, who led the correspondence.

Senator Susan Collins from Maine, chair of the broader Senate Appropriations Committee, also added her name in support of the letter. She emphasized, “The decision to withhold this funding goes against President Trump’s objective of returning K-12 education control to the states. These funds are meant for local use, as community leaders are best positioned to know how to serve their students and families.”

In response to the letter, the Administration and Budget office was contacted for comments. Meanwhile, support for the release of the withheld funding is gaining traction among Democrats and one independent in Congress. Last week, 32 Senators and 150 House Democrats sent letters urging Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to swiftly release the funds they claim are being “illegally” withheld.

Moreover, a coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia, spearheaded by the Democratic Attorney General and Governor, has filed a lawsuit against the federal government concerning the withheld funds.