With school about to start in a few months, the Trump administration has pulled the emergency brake on nearly $6.8 billion in education funding — money meant for after-school care, summer camps and programs serving low-income, rural and immigrant families.
Now, more than 20 states are suing, accusing the administration of breaking the law by holding back money that Congress already approved. Programs that help children learn English, receive mental health support or simply have a safe place to go after school could vanish in weeks.
And here’s the twist: 91 out of the 100 school districts hit hardest — they’re Republican-led areas. Translation: The freeze is hurting Trump Country the most.
Georgia’s Republican State Superintendent Richard Woods isn’t having it. “I deeply believe in fiscal responsibility, which means evaluating the use of funds and seeking out efficiencies, but also means being responsible — releasing funds already approved by Congress and signed by President Trump,” Woods said.
North Carolina’s Republican State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green has voiced similar frustration. “Without the nearly $169 million in supports that these grants fund, some of our most vulnerable students will lose access to critical academic resources,” Green said in a written statement.
Both officials argue that this isn’t fiscally responsible — it’s political interference with children’s futures. And while Washington argues, many families are stuck with hundreds of dollars a week in child care bills.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
