President Donald Trump’s federal budget, approved by House Republicans and now headed to the Senate, threatens afterschool programs nationwide.
It would eliminate dedicated funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, cutting support for more than 1.4 million children at over 10,000 afterschool and summer sites.
Critics warn that without this $1 billion line item, vulnerable children will lose safe, supervised spaces where they receive homework help, meals and enrichment activities.
Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jody Grant calls the move shortsighted and enormously harmful, arguing it will force programs to close, leave children unsupervised and burden working parents.
A recent survey shows 87% of voters, including 86% of Republicans, oppose eliminating afterschool funding. If Congress fails to restore these grants, local nonprofits, libraries and faith-based groups say they’ll be forced to cut services or shut their doors.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
