Trump administration weighs pulling education grants for California
The Trump administration is considering cutting federal education funds to California, according to people familiar with the administration's thinking. The discussion comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump feud over the president's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to stop immigration protests.
A Trump administration employee, who was not permitted to speak publicly about the administration's plans, told POLITICO the Education Department may stop the disbursement of 'formula funds,' which are awards based on a predetermined formula created by Congress. The administration has not yet reached a final decision, according to a separate person familiar with the discussions. But there is some uncertainty over the department's ability to pull funding that is not directly connected to California's state department of education.
'No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, and that's what California is doing through its lunatic anti-energy, soft-on-crime, pro-child mutilation and pro-sanctuary policies,' said Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson. 'The Trump administration is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream. No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made.'
California's public schools receive nearly $8 billion annually from the U.S. Education Department, which supports programs for low-income students and students with disabilities. The University of California and California State University, two of the largest public university systems in the country, both receive billions from the federal government. Both university systems are also under financial pressure. The UC and CSU each face a 3 percent budget cut this year, which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars for each institution.
Trump has made other threats to pull federal funding from the state in recent months. In May, the president threatened to strip federal funding if a transgender athlete participated in a girls' track meet.
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