[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 125 (Tuesday, July 22, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3535-H3536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        WITHHELD EDUCATION FUNDS

  (Ms. Bonamici of Oregon was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to demand answers, answers 
from the Department of Education and the Office of Management and 
Budget. Today, it is July 22, and the Trump administration continues to 
withhold

[[Page H3536]]

more than $5 billion in critical K-12 and adult education funding that 
should have been released by the July 1 deadline.
  More than 150 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives 
joined a group of 42 Senators, including 10 Republican Senators, in 
calling on Secretary McMahon and Director Vought to release the funds 
by July 15. That date has obviously passed, but we have received no 
answers.
  Although the administration did release the 21st Century Community 
Learning Center grants yesterday, they are a small percentage of the 
outstanding funding, and there is still no word on any of the other 
grants.
  School districts across the country are scrambling to make decisions, 
but they have unclear information and severely constrained budgets. 
Many districts have already been forced to lay off educators and staff 
who will not be paid without the Federal funding.
  For many students across the country, the new school year starts in a 
few weeks, and schools are now in an all-out crisis. As one 
administrator told me, it is a ``five-alarm fire.''
  Funds authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act are not a 
luxury. They are part of what closes opportunity gaps. They are a 
critical part of our effort to provide students across the country, 
regardless of income or ZIP Code, with a world-class education. Yes, 
this is about civil rights. Every single dollar is a good investment in 
students and in our future.
  State administered title I, part C grants, which have been around 
since the 1960s, support migrant students. These grants help children 
of mobile farmworkers and fishers, people who are harvesting our crops 
and putting food on our tables, meet academic standards and graduate 
from high school, preparing them to become responsible citizens and 
productive employees.
  Title II grants provide essential support to recruit, prepare, and 
retain high-quality teachers and school leaders. These grants address 
the growing educator workforce shortage and provide professional 
development for educators to improve teaching and student outcomes.
  Title III grants provide English language learners with the 
integrated academic support they need to learn English and meet State 
standards.
  Title IV, part A grants are designed to give students access to a 
well-rounded education. That is what students need: to improve school 
safety and to create better conditions for student learning and 
engagement. These grants fund critical music and arts programs and 
integrate technology into the classrooms so students can develop 
digital literacy skills.
  Finally, Adult Basic and Literacy Education grants help provide 
integrated education and training services that promote essential 
skills for the 21st century workforce.
  These are all programs that Congress authorized. Again, these are 
programs that Congress authorized, yet the Trump administration is 
refusing to release the funds.
  Mr. Speaker, 10 Republican Senators were brave enough and principled 
enough to request with the Democrats that the administration release 
these funds for their intended purposes, yet we have heard nothing, 
nothing, from House Republicans about the illegal and unconstitutional 
withholding of these congressionally appropriated dollars.
  Is there a fear of President Trump keeping them from their commitment 
to the millions of students in the school districts that they were 
elected to represent?
  I tell my colleagues that everyone can show that they care about the 
kids in their districts, that they care about education. Everyone 
should join us in demanding answers.
  Secretary McMahon and Director Vought must release these funds 
immediately. This is about our Nation's children, our students, and our 
future leaders. They deserve better.

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