The Trump administration has halted the release of more than $6 billion in K-12 education grants, freezing roughly 10 percent of federal funding that states expected to receive on 1 July. An internal notice from the U.S. Department of Education said awards will remain on hold while officials review whether the programs comply with President Donald Trump’s policy priorities.
The pause affects six large grant streams, including the $1.3 billion 21st Century Community Learning Centers program that supports after-school and summer learning, $2 billion earmarked for teacher professional development and class-size reduction, and nearly $890 million for English-language learners. Combined, the grants fund more than 10,000 local programs nationwide.
California estimates $811 million is at risk, Illinois about $243 million and Colorado $70 million. Districts warn they may have to cancel summer camps, cut after-school care and lay off staff. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America said up to 926 of its centers serving 220,000 children could close if the money is not restored, a scenario President Jim Clark called "swift and devastating."
Democratic lawmakers and state officials accuse the administration of illegally impounding funds already appropriated by Congress. “Every day that this funding is held up is a day school districts worry about cutting programs or laying off teachers,” Senator Patty Murray said. California Superintendent Tony Thurmond labeled the freeze “unlawful,” while the Education Department said only that it is ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent “in accordance with the President’s priorities.”
The grant freeze comes less than two weeks after the Department of Health and Human Services gave California 60 days to remove gender-identity content from a teen-pregnancy prevention curriculum or forfeit about $12 million. Together, the actions underscore the administration’s broader strategy of leveraging federal dollars to steer education policy.
Day camp providers and schools warn a Trump administration funding freeze could wreck summer for low-income American families and wipe out some after-school programming next year.
