Ed Dept to Release Some Frozen Grants Supporting After-School, Summer Programs

The Education Department will release some previously withheld grant money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Office of Management and Budget to allow the funds to be sent to states.

President Donald Trump's administration on July 1 withheld more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy, and English language instruction as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. About $1.3 billion of that funding supported after-school programming for children.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs that had long-standing bipartisan support and were critical to local communities.

"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."

A senior administration official said Friday that the programmatic review of the funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which support after-school programming, had been completed and that the funding would be released to the states. The rest of the withheld grants, close to $5 billion, continues to be reviewed for bias.

On Monday, more than 20 states had filed a lawsuit challenging the $6 billion funding freeze. The lawsuit, led by California, argued withholding the money was unconstitutional, and many low-income families would lose access to critical after-school care if the grants were not released.

David Schuler, executive director of AASA, an association of school superintendents, praised the release of after-school money but said that the remaining education funding should not be withheld.

"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," Schuler said in a statement. "The remaining funds must be released immediately — America's children are counting on it."