Trump administration unfreezes billions in federal education funds after outcry

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The Trump administration plans to unfreeze billions of dollars in federal funds for the current school year after an outcry from educators as well as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

The day before the funds were set to be delivered on July 1, the White House announced that it was freezing over $6 billion, including an estimated $939 million in grants for California schools.

The grants, previously approved by Congress, were aimed at supporting English learners, migrant education, teacher training, after-school programs and adult education. Earlier this week, over $1 billion was restored. The U.S. Department of Education said in a statement Friday that the rest is coming shortly.

“The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week,” spokesperson Madison Biedermann said in a statement to EdSource.

School leaders had been scrambling to balance their already approved budgets for the upcoming school year after the abrupt announcement of frozen funds. Trump is calling for many of the same cuts in the next federal budget that begins on Oct. 1. But for now, they are relieved to hear that the funding is on its way — at least for the upcoming school year.

“This is not only necessary — it’s the right thing to do,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a statement. “These funds help us avoid making impossible choices that would impact students, educators, and communities.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond noted that these funds are already nearly a month late, when some school districts are already in session. He said the Trump administration illegally withheld this funding.

“We are hopeful that the administration follows through on their announcement and quickly sends us these dollars that were appropriated by Congress last year, so that we can use them to serve our students,” Thurmond said in a statement.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 22 other Democratic attorneys general in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over the funding. 

A spokesperson for the White House Office for Management and Budget alleged, according to that lawsuit, that previous funding had subsidized a “radical leftwing agenda,” a charge roundly refuted by school officials and a bipartisan array of legislators.

But it wasn’t just Democrats — some Republican lawmakers rallied against the cuts, too.

“We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,” read a letter from 10 Republican senators to the Office of Management and Budget. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”

The full release of funds is a “major win for students across California and the nation,” said Jeanette Gomez, associate director of policy at Californians Together, a statewide advocacy coalition focused on improving education for English learners. In a statement, she praised the advocacy of educators, families, community leaders and legislators.

But this funding should never have “been held hostage,” said Allison Socol, EdTrust’s vice president for P-12 policy, practice and research, in a statement. EdTrust is a nonprofit organization that advocates for dismantling racial and economic barriers in education.

“President Trump and Secretary (Linda) McMahon have treated America’s students like unwitting characters on a reality TV show,” Socol said. “It took an overwhelming wave of bipartisan and public pressure to get them to do what the law requires.”

Socol is still concerned that these funds may have strings attached, such as excluding undocumented children.

Gomez and other advocates said now is the time to look forward to ensure that these pots of funding for high-needs students are protected, not just this school year, but for the next.

“Unfortunately, we anticipate more threats, chaos and dysfunction from this administration,” said California Teachers Association President David Goldberg in a statement.