More than $5 billion in frozen education grant funding to the states will be released in the coming weeks, according to the Department of Education.
The money, which was used to found a range of initiatives including teacher training and English language programs, was suspended by the Trump administration on June 30 pending a review by the federal Office of Management and Budget.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Education for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.
The Context
The announcement follows weeks of lobbying from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers concerned about the impact the funding suspension would have on their districts.
Lawsuits aiming to get the money unfrozen had been submitted by 24 states and the District of Columbia along with a separate group of teaching unions, school districts and parents.
What To Know
On Friday, the Department of Education spokesperson Madi Biedermann said the funding had been unfrozen and would begin being paid out next week. The money was part of a larger sum of nearly $7 billion that had been approved by Congress for education spending and was due to be released on July 1, but that the Trump administration announced it had placed a block the previous day.
On June 30, the Education Department announced the spending was under review with the Office of Management and Budget saying it would investigate whether it had previously been spent supporting a “radical left-wing agenda.”
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The money had been earmarked for a number of services including migrant education, English language programs and adult education with $2.2 billion committed to teachers’ professional development.
On Friday the administration said there would be “guardrails” in place to ensure the released money wasn’t spent “in violation of executive orders or administration policy.”
Earlier this month the Supreme Court ruled the Department of Education can go ahead with its plan to lay off nearly 1,400 workers. The Trump administration reportedly considered abolishing the Department of Education in its entirety earlier this year.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, Nebraska House Republican Don Bacon wrote: “Exciting news to announce! All frozen education funding for the upcoming school year have been released.”
Referring to the payments on Friday at the National Governors Association’s summer meeting Education Secretary Linda McMahon said: “I would think now that we’ve reviewed them … a year from now, we wouldn’t find ourselves in the same situation.”
Addressing The Washington Post Democratic Senator Patty Murray said: “This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion.
“You don’t thank a burglar for returning your cash after you’ve spent a month figuring out if you’d have to sell your house to make up the difference.”
Speaking to Axios Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito said: “The programs are ones that enjoy long-standing, 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, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education.”
Skye Perryman, president of the Democracy Forward campaign group, said: “While this development shows that legal and public pressure can make a difference, school districts, parents, and educators should not have to take the administration to court to secure funds for their students.”
What Happens Next
Payments from the frozen funding should start going out next week according to the Department of Education.