Latest news with #ShelleyMooreCapito
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Education Department releases $5 billion to schools after monthlong hold
The Department of Education announced Friday the release of more than $5 billion of funding to schools after an almost monthlong pause. At the beginning of July, the Trump administration paused the typical release of almost $7 billion in funding to schools that went toward after-school and summer activities, classes for English learners and adults and teacher preparation programs, among other things. Last week, the administration released more than $1 billion for after-school and summer programs but declined to say when the rest would be released. 'OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the Department to release all formula funds. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week,' said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications for the Education Department. Republicans were quick to celebrate the release many had fought for. West Virginia's Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice quickly reacted to the news. 'This supports critical programs so many West Virginians rely on and I made that clear to OMB Director Vought,' Capito said on the social platform X, referring to Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. 'The release of these funds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the kids of West Virginia,' Justice, a former governor, said on X. Capito had led an effort among Senate Republicans earlier this month to push for the funding release. 'Exciting news to announce! All frozen education funding for the upcoming school year have been released, following my letter to the OMB! It helps centers like @KidsCanOmaha and our schools!' Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) posted. The White House argued the funds were paused because some money was going to a 'radical leftwing agenda.' An administration official told The Washington Post 'guardrails' have been put on the money to align with the administration's agenda, similar language described in the release of the first $1 billion. It is unclear what these guardrails are or how they will affect the funding. The move received bipartisan pushback, with a letter from 10 Republican senators and a lawsuit from Democratic-led states demanding the funds be released. The pause in funds led to delays and closures in some programs and layoffs at schools in Alaska. 'We are pleased public schools will receive the funding as appropriated by Congress for the 2025-26 school year. On the heels of our survey released Tuesday, detailing how disruptive withholding these funds would be for our nation's students, we thank our members and allies on the Hill. We appreciate their tireless advocacy, communication and outreach to the Administration about the importance of releasing these critical funds,' said David Schuler, executive director of the School Superintendents Association. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Billions in frozen school grants to be released, says Education Department
After weeks of uncertainty, the Trump administration said on Friday that it will release billions in previously frozen federal education grants, reversing a July 1 funding freeze that left educators scrambling across the Education Department confirmed it will begin sending the money to states next week, after the White House's Office of Management and Budget completed a review. The freeze had affected over $6 billion earmarked for programs like English language instruction, adult literacy, and summer enrichment activities — sparking lawsuits and bipartisan agreement ends an unnecessary distraction for school leaders and ensures students won't pay the price for political wrangling,' said a Department spokesperson. The freeze, aimed at aligning spending with White House priorities, had alarmed superintendents and nonprofits nationwide. In Maryland's Harford County, the withheld funds accounted for more than half of the budget for the district's annual summer camp for English learners. 'Without the funds, we couldn't have hired certified teachers or kept our summer programs alive,' one district official week, the administration partially reversed course by releasing $1.3 billion for after-school and summer programmes. The rest of the funding — covering everything from bilingual education to teacher development — will now Republican senators had urged the White House to act, calling the programmes 'longstanding' and 'bipartisan.' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said, 'These programs let parents work while their kids learn. They help adults gain skills and boost local economies.'The Office of Management and Budget had initially argued that some of the affected programmes supported a 'radical left-wing agenda.' But in a sharply worded letter, GOP senators responded, 'We do not believe that is happening with these funds.'Sen. Patty Murray slammed the administration for the delay. 'Because of President Trump, communities across the country were forced to spend their time cutting back on tutoring options and sorting out how many teachers they will have to lay off,' she grants under review included:$2 billion for teacher development and class size reduction$1 billion for academic enrichment, including STEM$890 million for English learners$376 million for migrant education$715 million for adult literacyMajor districts stood to lose millions. Los Angeles Unified received $62 million from these programs in 2022–23. Philadelphia schools got $28 million, and Miami's received over $24 districts also faced big gaps. Schools in Burlington, Vermont; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; and Norristown, Pennsylvania received over $300 per student from the same the funds are finally unlocked, educators across the country are breathing a sigh of relief — and refocusing on classrooms instead of courtrooms- EndsWith inputs from Associated PressMust Watch
UPI
4 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Education Department releases $7 billion held from schools nationwide
July 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education finished releasing more than $7 billion in funds for school programs nationwide after a pause at the start of July, an agency spokeswoman said Friday. Last week, $1.3 billion was released with more than $6 billion remaining. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget was reviewing the rest. "OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the department to release all formula funds," said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications for the Education Department, said in an email to media, including The Hill and ABC News. "The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week." Earlier, the Education Department didn't disperse routine payments for schools that include money for after-school and summer activities, classes for non-English learners and adults, and teacher preparation. The funding was authorized by Congress and was due July 1, before the start of the school year. The school districts were notified of the pause one day before. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican serving West Virginia, had pushed for the funds' release. She and nine colleagues had written a letter to OMB. "This supports critical programs so many West Virginians rely on and I made that clear to OMB Director Vought," Capito posted on X. In a news release Friday, she said: "The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, 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." Also, 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit July 14 seeking the funds' release. A coalition of school districts, teachers' unions, nonprofits and parents sued Monday in Rhode Island. Originally, the White House said the pause was because money was going to the "radical left-wing agenda." Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told ABC News on Thursday: "We want to make sure that we have the right focus on what we're trying to do with our students." She said it could be released by the end of the year. An administration official told The Washington Post that unspecified "guardrails" were put on the money so they align with the policy. More than 200 superintendents went to senators' offices to seek an end to the freeze. David Schuler, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, applauded the change. "On the heels of our survey released Tuesday, detailing how disruptive withholding these funds would be for our nation's students, we thank our members and allies on the Hill," Schuler said in a statement. "We appreciate their tireless advocacy, communication and outreach to the Administration about the importance of releasing these critical funds." The Education Department's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget is $66.7 billion, which is a 15.3% reduction , or $12 billion, from the previous year. President Donald Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department, with states and other federal agencies taking over the dispersal of funds, including student loans and other programs. On July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for mass firings by lifting an injunction while litigation proceeds. In March, the agency's workforce was slashed in half, with 1,378 terminated. The high court didn't rule on abolishing the agency, which must be approved by Congress.
Politico
5 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump administration moves to release billions in federal education cash
The release comes after bipartisan pressure on the White House Office of Management and Budget from Capitol Hill, after the withholding of cash left state education leaders and local school districts scrambling. 'The education formula funding included in the FY2025 Continuing Resolution Act supports critical programs that so many rely on,' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the top Republican on the subcommittee overseeing education spending, said in a statement Friday. 'The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support.' The West Virginia Republican led a group of prominent Republican senators, pressing White House budget chief Russ Vought to release the school aid, in a notable intraparty challenge to the administration. The freeing up of funding was lauded by several other Republican lawmakers on Friday. Sen. Jim Justice ( said the release will 'undoubtedly have a positive impact' on his state and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who also pressed for the cash, praised the decision. The White House had faced mounting pressure from federal, state and local leaders to distribute the education cash amid growing concerns from districts about plugging budget holes in the absence of the federal dollars Congress approved for fiscal 2025. 'There is no good reason for the chaos and stress this president has inflicted on students, teachers, and parents across America for the last month, and it shouldn't take widespread blowback for this administration to do its job and simply get the funding out the door that Congress has delivered to help students,' said Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a statement Friday. 'This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion,' the Washington Democrat added. Juan Perez Jr. contributed to this report.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Education department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction, and other programs, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than 6 billion in funding on July 1 as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties, and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release 1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits, such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America, had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programs and will begin sending the money to states next week. US Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. 'The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding bipartisan support,' she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills–contributing to local economies. In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programs supported a 'radical leftwing agenda.' 'We share your concern,' the GOP senators had written. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money. ___ 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
