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Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Dems bring last-day spice to Aspen
With help from Phelim Kine and Connor O'Brien Subscribe here | Email Eric ASPEN, Colorado — Democratic heavyweights scorched the Trump administration's national security approach on the last day of the Aspen Security Forum, bringing some eleventh-hour zest to a conference that had largely avoided sharp rebukes of President DONALD TRUMP. Sens. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.), and MARK WARNER (D-Va.) took the stage for a discussion on the 'view from the Senate.' There, Coons lashed OMB chief RUSS VOUGHT as 'incompetent' and Warner suggested that U.S. allies were reducing intelligence sharing because they didn't trust Director of National Intelligence TULSI GABBARD. (Warner's team subsequently backtracked those comments, saying he was concerned intel sharing might be reduced.) The spice continued when former national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN closed out the Rocky Mountain confab this year, joining a trio of former officials to discuss 'the long view from Aspen.' There, Sullivan insinuated that State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development layoffs were rooted in disrespect for federal workers, rankling former GEORGE W. BUSH administration Secretary of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE. Sullivan also argued that pundits have misread the outcome of the 2024 election and that Americans still remain committed to international engagement. Case in point, he noted Trump's recent evolution on Ukraine. 'It's President Trump who has shifted on this issue in recent days, not the American people,' Sullivan said. The Democratic trio's comments changed the tone of a gathering that at other times felt light on public criticism of the Trump administration. Beyond some foreign officials' expressions of concern about the impact of the Trump administration's approach to competition with China and tariffs, the conference featured surprisingly little direct criticism of Trump officials and their qualifications. The impression on the sidelines was that some speakers were wary of further alienating the administration. Sullivan also used his time to defend the Biden administration's efforts to address some of the economic statecraft challenges the country has faced — from rare earth minerals shortages to the loss of industrial jobs. But he warned 'there are so many obstacles to the United States being able to build at speed, at scale.' He managed to also turn that into a jab at Trump. 'We still contend with very difficult challenges of building on speed and scale, and it takes more than a statement or a speech or a tariff to get that done,' Sullivan said. The Inbox VENEZUELA PRISONER SWAP: Venezuela will release 10 Americans in its custody in exchange for hundreds of Venezuelan nationals the U.S. deported to El Salvador, Salvadoran President NAYIB BUKELE announced on social media today. THE EU'S FLOATING OIL CAP: The European Union agreed an 18th round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine today, after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday that he would no longer seek to block the measures. 'The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions package against Russia to date,' KAJA KALLAS, the bloc's high representative for foreign affairs, said on social media. The package includes a new floating price cap on Russian oil, which seeks to limit Moscow's ability to generate revenue to fund the war through energy sales. That will now be set at 15 percent below the average market price of Russian crude, effectively lowering the cap to around $48 per barrel from the previous cap of $60 a barrel. DEPARTMENT OF AG'S NATSEC REVIEW: The Department of Agriculture has fired 70 foreign researchers who were working for the agency under contract, as part of a national security review designed to insulate America's food supply chains from infiltration by adversaries, including Russia, China Iran and North Korea, Reuters reported today. The 70 people, who worked at the Agricultural Research Service, were identified to originate from 'countries of concern' a USDA spokesperson told the news agency. Most were post-doctoral researchers from China. 'CHINA IS ON THE MARCH': China's growing military threat to the U.S. and its allies in the Indo-Pacific was front and center during a panel at Aspen today. Australian Ambassador to the U.S. KEVIN RUDD said Beijing's increasingly aggressive military footprint in the region — including deployment of aircraft carriers into the western Pacific toward Guam in May and June — is cause for alarm. 'The China challenge becomes more real, more acute, sharper each day, each week,' Rudd said. 'China is literally on the march, and therefore it requires countermeasures.' Former U.S. Ambassador to China NICHOLAS BURNS piled on by warning that Beijing's alignment with Russia compounds the dangers its military poses to the Indo-Pacific and beyond. 'It's trying to cut the United States and our allies down to size,' Burns said. 'We've not taken this global threat seriously enough, and the Chinese are strengthening themselves.' DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we're featuring CLAIRE FINKELSTEIN, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and expert on the laws of armed conflict who leads the Penn Carey Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law. We caught up with Claire on the sidelines of the Aspen Security Forum and asked her how she likes to imbibe. Claire told us that she's a wine fan, dating back to her college days when she and Brookings President CECILIA ROUSE, her then-roommate, led a wine tasting club at Harvard. She loves French wines — Sincère in particular. But when she's in the mood for a cocktail, she'll go for a Kir Royale. Finklestein likes her Kir Royales with a 'really good dry Brut champagne with a little bit of creme de cassis.' 'I often make it at home … but there's a place in Rittenhouse Square, unfortunately I'm forgetting the name of it, where I might sit on a Friday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon — not so much on a Saturday — and have a Kir Royale,' she said. Your hosts are eager to know which bar in the area makes the best ones, so Philly readers send us your tips! Maybe you'll catch us there soon. Cheers, Claire! IT'S FRIDAY! WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at ebazail@ and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on X and Bluesky: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @ @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes NOVEL RUSSIAN SPY TOOLS: Britain's National Cyber Security Center said today that Russian spies have developed sophisticated new malware that has been used to steal the log-in credentials of online Microsoft products. The tool was developed by cyberespionage group APT 28, also known as Fancy Bear, which is part of Russia's military intelligence agency. The U.K. also announced today that it had sanctioned Russian spies, hackers and agencies over what it described as a 'sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity' targeting agencies and institutions in the U.K. and Europe. Moscow's spooks have increasingly used sabotage and cyberattacks in Europe in a bid to destabilize the continent and undermine support for Ukraine. The Complex TARIFF ANXIETY: Despite NATO's recent boost in defense spending, representatives from the defense industry, technology companies, venture capital and consulting firms are treading carefully out of concern that Trump's tariffs could fuel instability and eat into their profit margins, our own Felicia Schwartz writes in Aspen. 'You can't plan when they continually create new crises and kick the cans down the road,' one of the attendees at the forum told Felicia. This year's summit offered a peek into how companies are tiptoeing around the mercurial Trump administration. Many panelists were unwilling to say anything negative about the administration, while some companies pared back their presence after the Pentagon withdrew a host of its officials from the gathering. Sponsor logos, which have in past years typically framed the stage, were also far less prominent this year and were instead displayed on TV screens in the lobby, Felicia writes. On the Hill DEFENSE APPROPS STICKS THE LANDING: House Republicans muscled through their first take on the Pentagon budget overnight. The full House cleared the annual defense appropriations bill in a close 221-209 vote, with just five Democrats joining Republicans to support it. The $831.5 billion spending bill aligns with the Trump administration's plan to keep the regular Pentagon budget even with this year's funding levels, instead relying on the $150 billion investment from the GOP megabill to boost defense programs. The legislation was written before the administration submitted its full defense budget plan to Congress, which opponents contend effectively renders the bill irrelevant in spending discussions. Democrats opposed the measure in large part over a raft of conservative policy riders included by Republicans, including provisions curtailing abortion access and diversity efforts in the military. They also balked at the exclusion of annual Pentagon funding to arm Ukraine. Republicans, though, teamed up with Democrats to defeat hardline GOP amendments on the House floor to block any Ukraine assistance and to slash hundreds of millions of dollars for security assistance for Taiwan and defense cooperation with Israel. Broadsides LULA LASHES TRUMP: Brazilian President LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA didn't mince words late Thursday about the Trump administration continuing to stick its nose into criminal proceedings against the country's former president and Trump ally JAIR BOLSONARO. In an address to the Brazilian people, Lula said Trump's actions represent 'unacceptable blackmail' and insisted that his government will respect the independent judiciary as it prosecutes Bolsonaro on charges of trying to organize a coup and overturn his electoral loss in 2022. The harsh response from Lula follows the release of a letter from Trump — no not that one — to Bolsonaro offering support as the ex-Brazilian leader faces criminal charges. It follows the threat to impose 50 percent tariffs earlier this month against Brazil over the judicial system's treatment of Bolsonaro. Transitions — Have a new job? Starting a new venture? Write to ebazail@ to get your good news featured in your favorite natsec newsletter. What to Read — Matthew Duss, Foreign Policy: Biden's team lied about Gaza. It's time to hold them accountable. — Benoit Faucon and Adam Chamseddine, Wall Street Journal: Iran is moving to rearm its militia allies — M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs: Is China's military ready for war? — Neal Urwitz, National Security Journal: ANDREW SCHWARTZ Must Be Remembered Monday Today — The Atlantic Council, 9:30 a.m.: Atlantic piracy, current threats, and maritime governance in the Gulf of Guinea — The Hudson Institute, 11:00 a.m.: Tokyo as a window for global Japan — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2:00 p.m.: Under the Nuclear Shadow: China's Information-Age Weapons in International Security — The Council on Foreign Relations, 6:30 p.m.: The Democratic vision for the future of U.S. foreign policy Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Ester Wells, whose comments never bring needed zest to our lives.
Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump's school pressure campaign
Presented by THE CATCH-UP SCHOOL DAZE: The Trump administration has partially backed down from its hold on almost $7 billion in federal funding for states and local schools, following a rare and ideologically broad backlash from Senate Republicans and a lawsuit from Democratic-led states. But most of the money is still being held back for now, pending further review, POLITICO's Juan Perez Jr. reports for Pros. Out of the freezer: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( who led the letter, announced that OMB Director Russ Vought told her the money would be released. The funds for after-school programs, summer school, teacher training and English-language learners were originally expected to be disbursed at the start of the month, and advocates warned that their loss could upend school-district budgets and programming. Testifying in Congress last month, Vought declined to rule out the prospect of including the congressionally approved funding in a future rescission package. Back in black: About $1.3 billion for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is being released, after OMB finished a review of it, Juan reports. That 'could help ease an immediate budget crunch.' But Democrats said the freeze on the other dollars remained illegal and damaging: 'Every penny of this funding must flow immediately,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. More cuts: As the administration dismantles large parts of the Education Department, data shows that the number of civil rights cases resolved by the agency has plunged this year, AP's Collin Binkley reports. Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Congress last month that the pace wasn't slowing despite reduced staff, but the numbers tell a different story. Parents say they've felt the change. On campus: President Donald Trump's highest-profile education fights, though, remain with elite universities — and some of them are reaching a crescendo. The White House is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with Columbia, but its fight against Harvard is heading back to court for a high-profile hearing Monday, NYT's Alan Blinder and colleagues preview. Turning the Crimson tide: A deal with Harvard that Trump indicated last month was near still hasn't come together; in the meantime, the administration has continued to withhold research funding and repeatedly tried to increase its leverage with new demands and attacks. Negotiations are ongoing but 'have made limited headway,' the Times reports. 'Trump administration officials are looking to secure the most significant victory of their ongoing pressure campaign on academia.' But whether the judge rules for or against Harvard in its lawsuit over frozen funding could be pivotal to determining the contours of a deal. The man in the middle: Alan Garber is the subject of a big new profile by The Atlantic's Franklin Foer, who writes that the mild-mannered Harvard president has 'positioned himself as an institutionalist and an opponent of illiberalism in all its forms: its Trumpian variant, yes, but also illiberal forces within his own university.' That makes him a partially unlikely target of Trump's crackdown on universities. But on campus at least, 'having been cast as a figure of resistance, Garber has earned the political capital to pursue his agenda.' The big picture: 'Inside the powerful task force spearheading Trump's assault on colleges, DEI,' by WaPo's Laura Meckler and colleagues: 'The administration established the [Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism] in February to counter what it describes as widespread failure by universities to protect Jewish students since the start of campus protests against the Israel-Gaza war. In reality, many of the task force's unprecedented demands and punishments have nothing to do with antisemitism. Instead, they seek hiring and programming changes to strip long-standing conservative targets including DEI and a liberal worldview from higher education.' Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@ 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. KNOWING THE DISAPPEARED: 'He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared,' by Melissa Sanchez and colleagues for ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, Alianza Rebelde Investiga and Cazadores de Fake News: 'Most of the men [deported to El Salvador without due process] were not hiding from federal authorities but were instead moving through the nation's immigration system. They were either in the middle of their cases, which normally should have protected them from deportation, or they had already been ordered deported and should have first been given the option to be sent back to a country they chose.' 2. THAT'S GONNA HURT: Affordable Care Act rates are set to surge next year — with large plans in Illinois, Texas, Washington, Georgia and Rhode Island seeking double-digit increases as high as 27 percent, WSJ's Anna Wilde Mathews scooped. The insurers blame rising costs as well as federal subsidy cuts. But the changes could be a rude awakening for consumers who have mostly seen single-digit hikes in recent years. 3. CLIMATE FILES: 'Trump administration memo could strike fatal blow to wind and solar power,' by POLITICO's Zack Colman and Josh Siegel: 'The directive could have a much broader impact, affecting scores of projects on private land that must pass through or connect with projects on Interior-managed federal land … Some companies and clean energy advocates worried the directive would slow solar and wind approvals to a crawl by creating a bottleneck at [Secretary Doug] Burgum's office.' 4. RESCISSIONS FALLOUT: Having now made it through Congress, the rescissions package's $1.1 billion in cuts to public broadcasting funding have local news operations worried about their survival, NBC's Megan Lebowitz and Raquel Coronell Uribe report. The fear is especially acute for smaller and more rural stations, where leaders are already making tough decisions about what to cut, AP's Mark Thiessen and David Bauder report from Anchorage, Alaska. For kids, the result could be a faster shift to less educational content on YouTube, streaming and social media, WaPo's Tatum Hunter reports. GOP victory: For conservatives, cutting PBS and NPR money is the attainment of a goal Republicans have tried but failed to reach for decades, NYT's Jim Rutenberg reports. Democrats see it as part of a Trump crackdown on journalism. But public media was also more vulnerable as Americans' information ecosystems have moved away from local news, eroding their support from Republican politicians who protected the funding in previous debates. 5. DEMOCRACY WATCH: 'Trump-Driven Chaos Comes to U.S. Attorney's Offices in Waves,' by NYT's Santul Nerkar and Jonah Bromwich: 'On Wednesday afternoon, the highest ranking federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Jay Clayton, was blindsided [by the firing of Maurene Comey] … Mr. Trump has concentrated power within the Justice Department in Washington and, in two of the [New York-area] offices, has elevated loyalists with little prosecutorial experience, leading to confusion and plummeting morale within the rank and file. His moves raise the question of what, exactly, a U.S. attorney is empowered to do, beyond serving Mr. Trump's chosen agenda.' One to watch: Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba could find out her fate at a federal judges' meeting Monday, just before her interim stint expires, the New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein reports. Habba told staffers that she hopes to stay in the role but doesn't know if she will. 6. ESCAPE TO ALCATRAZ: Trump is dead serious about trying to turn Alcatraz Island back into a new maximum-security prison — and the costliest option would top $2 billion, Axios' Marc Caputo scooped. 'Trump's interest in Alcatraz is motivated more by symbolism than necessity,' and it's early yet in the planning. Another possibility would cost $1 billion to build a smaller facility on part of the island. Trump hasn't made any final choices. 7. TRADING PLACES: Trump is taking a tougher tack in trade negotiations with the EU, demanding that a deal include tariffs of at least 15 to 20 percent, FT's Andy Bounds and colleagues report. That's higher than the 10 percent threshold they'd been discussing, and Trump doesn't want to move on auto tariffs either. The shift left European negotiator Maroš Šefčovič 'downbeat' in an evaluation today of how the talks are going. 'We don't want a trade war, but we don't know if the US will leave us a choice,' says one EU diplomat. 8. FED UP: As some conservatives seek to use concerns about the Fed's headquarters renovations as justification for Trump to fire Chair Jerome Powell, AP's Christopher Rugaber and Josh Boak report that Trump appointees pushed for more white marble to be included. In Trump's first term, his picks on the Commission of Fine Arts advocated for marble over the glass walls the Fed wanted, for aesthetic/historical reasons. 'The marble does not explain the roughly $600 million in cost overruns … But the roots of its extensive use further muddies the White House's attempts to use the renovation to paint the central banker as [a] profligate spender as a possible pretext to removing him.' 9. PLEADING THE FIFTH: Annie Tomasini today became the third former Joe Biden aide to invoke her Fifth Amendment right in the House Oversight Committee's probe of Biden's mental fitness. Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) slammed Tomasini as trying to hide the truth, while her attorney said there was no evidence of her wrongdoing — and that Biden made his end-of-term clemency decisions himself. The growing trend reflects Biden aides' 'fear that they have become targets for political retribution,' WaPo's Toluse Olorunnipa reports. Republicans allege a cover-up. TALK OF THE TOWN IN MEMORIAM — 'Ernest 'Pat' Furgurson, former Baltimore Sun columnist and historian, dies,' by The Baltimore Sun's Jacques Kelly: He was 'a former Baltimore Sun national affairs columnist, Washington bureau chief and a Civil War historian who also held posts in Moscow and Saigon … He was 95. … He was elected to Washington's Gridiron Club in 1977 and was its historian from 1992 to 2002.' — Andrew Schwartz, chief comms officer for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, died Wednesday. The center remembered him as 'a mentor, a coach, a brother to everyone in the CSIS family,' with a 'network in Washington [that] was far and wide.' Wrote Neal Urwitz, Schwartz was 'a Democrat who worked for Fox News, an adopted son of New Orleans who worked at a suit-and-tie think tank, and a digital-first communications pioneer who could barely turn on his computer.' OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at Dentons' third annual summer bash Wednesday evening at Royal Sands Social Club: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Vince Fong (R-Calif.) and Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Joe Crowley, Jeff Denham, Eric Tanenblatt, Matthew Cutts, Stephen Lawson, John Holahan, Mike Zolandz, Andrew Renteria, Terry McAuliffe and Kevin McCarthy. — Coinbase and Circle hosted a reception last night at The Ned to celebrate House passage of the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act. SPOTTED: Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Reps. French Hill (R-Ark.), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Jeff Crank (R-Colo.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Tim Moore (R-N.C.), Troy Downing (R-Mont.), Nick Begich (R-Alaska), Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) and Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Brooke Bennett, Brooke Nethercott, Grace White, Megan Guiltinan, Max Raymond, Ashley Gunn, Julia Krieger, Kara Calvert, Nick Carr, Darin Carter, Veronica Hash, Robin Cook, Faryar Shirzad, Paul Grewal, Andrew Gallucci, Ashley Scott, Caroline Hill, Lulio Vargas-Cohen, Dante Disparte, Amy Dudley, Heath Tarbert, Erik Rosenblatt, Anthony De Abreu, Alex Côté and Garrett Brock. TRANSITION — Mark Wetjen is now global head of policy and regulatory affairs at OKX. He previously was a partner at Dentons and is a former acting CFTC chair. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Powell defends Fed renovation amid Trump criticism
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday pushed back on GOP criticisms regarding renovation costs for two buildings in Washington, suggesting the upgrades are overdue. 'The project is large in scope because it involves the renovation of two historic buildings on the National Mall and that were first constructed in the 1930s,' Powell wrote in a Thursday letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought. 'While periodic work has been done to keep these buildings occupiable, neither building has seen a comprehensive renovation since they were first constructed.' 'Both buildings were in need of significant structural repairs and other updates to make the buildings safe, healthy, and effective places to work, including the removal of asbestos and lead contamination, complete replacement of antiquated systems such as electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, as well as fire detection and suppression systems,' he added. Trump administration officials have hammered Powell in recent weeks over his refusal to lower interest rates amid tariff uncertainty. Vought, earlier this month, questioned the Fed chair's leadership while claiming the projects in question were mismanaged resulting in a tab 'roughly $700 million over its initial cost.' 'While continuing to run a deficit since FY23 (the first time in the Fed's history), the Fed is way over budget on the renovation of its headquarters,' he wrote in a July 10 post on social platform X. 'Now up to $2.5 billion, roughly $700 million over its initial cost,' the OMB director added. He also noted that the perceived discrepancies require 'additional oversight' by his office and the National Capital Planning Commission. Powell countered the argument, saying the central bank already received feedback and approval from NCPC on the project proposals submitted in 2020 and 2021. 'Although the Board is not generally subject to the direction of NCPC with respect to its building projects, we voluntarily collaborated with the NCPC and benefitted from robust and collaborative engagement with the commission in earlier stages of the project,' he wrote in his letter to Vought. 'The project is proceeding in accordance with the plan that the NCPC approved in September 2021. Since the plan's approval by the NCPC, the Board has made a small number of design changes to scale back or eliminate certain elements and has added no new elements,' the Fed chief continued. 'These changes were intended to simplify construction and reduce the likelihood of further delays and cost increases.' The back-and-forth comes as President Trump has threatened to ' soon ' fire Powell over his refusal to lower interest rates, with the idea floated that he could replace him with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. However, some lawmakers have raised concerns with such a move, citing a potential impact on the markets. 'I do not believe a president, any president, has the authority to fire the Federal Reserve chair,' said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Fed. 'I believe strongly in the independence of the Federal Reserve. Some countries in the world don't have independent central banks,' he continued. 'Ask Turkey how that's been working out for them. At one point Turkey had inflation at 30 percent.' Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), another member of the Banking Committee, has also warned that firing Powell would send a 'shock wave' through the economy. 'It would be a colossal mistake,' he said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Education Department will release some frozen grants supporting after-school and summer programs
The Education Department will release some previously withheld grant money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Office of Management and Budget to allow the funds to be sent to states. President Donald Trump's administration on July 1 withheld more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. About $1.3 billion of that funding supported after-school programming for children. In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs that had longstanding bipartisan support and were critical to local communities. 'We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,' the senators wrote. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' ____ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump administration to release funds for after-school, summer programming
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( announced Friday the Trump administration had agreed to release at least some of the $6 billion in funding meant for after-school and summer programming that it had held. The freeze of the funds, which also go toward English and adult learner classes and teacher preparation courses, had resulted in rare bipartisan pushback to a Trump policy on education. In a victory lap after Capito led a Thursday letter with nine other Senate Republicans urging for the funds to be released, the West Virginia senator posted on X that the director for the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) told her the Department of Education is 'releasing crucial funds to states that support after school and summer education programs.' A senior administration official confirmed to The Hill that the funds 'will be released to the states.' 'Guardrails have been put in place to ensure these funds are not used in violation of Executive Orders,' the official said. It was not immediately clear, however, how much of the $6 billion in question will be in play. The Hill has reached out to OMB for further comment. The Republican letter signed by Capito, along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), John Boozman (Ark.), Katie Britt (Ala.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Jim Justice ( said the pause in funding would 'harm students, families and local economies.' 'This funding goes directly to state and local districts, where local leaders decide how the funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families,' the letter reads. Twenty-four Democratic states had sued over the funding pause, arguing the money should have been distributed on the normal July 1 schedule. 'Congress allocated these funds and the law requires they be delivered. We will not allow this administration to rewrite the rules to punish the communities it doesn't like,' New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Earlier this month, Kim Evans, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta in Georgia, told The Hill without the funds her clubs would have to reduce their offerings to students. 'We have summer camps rolling right now. I'm depending on a reimbursement in July. … If we don't get that, we have kids who won't be served,' Evans said. OMB had previously said it held the funds to make sure the money aligned with the administration's agenda. 'This is an ongoing programmatic review of education funding. Initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda. In one case, NY public schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations. In another, Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants towards scholarships intended for American students,' an OMB spokesperson said. 'In yet another, School Improvement funds were used to conduct a seminar on 'queer resistance in the arts.' As stated before, this is an ongoing programmatic review and no decisions have been made yet,' the spokesperson added.
