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Full List of Republicans Urging Trump to Unfreeze Funds for K-12 Schools [1]

['Mandy Taheri', 'Newsweek Staff', 'Mark Temnycky']

Date: 2025-07-17 10:43:17-04:00

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.

Ten Republican senators signed a letter on Wednesday addressed to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), urging the Trump administration to unfreeze over $6 billion in federal funding for education programs.

Why It Matters

At the end of June, the Trump administration halted congressionally appropriated federal funding for schools amid an "ongoing programmatic review of education funding," an OMB spokesperson told Newsweek.

The freeze has left states and schools in limbo as they budget for programs for this summer and the upcoming school year, introducing new uncertainty about when, or if, they will receive the money. A coalition of 24 states and DC launched a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), along with their departments.

Since taking office, Trump has launched a significant education policy overhaul aimed at reducing the federal government's role in schools, including an executive order to "facilitate the closure" of the Education Department and transfer its responsibilities to the states.

What To Know

The letter, dated July 16, asks OMB director Russell Vought to "faithfully implement" the 2025 fiscal year education funds that states were supposed to begin receiving on July 1, adding that "withholding these funds will harm students, families, and local economies."

The letter continues, "The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump's goal of returning K-12 education to the states."

The Trump administration's freeze impacts every state, comprising around 10 percent of each state's federal K-12 funding. The freeze directly endangers after-school initiatives, professional development for teachers, English language learning, and more.

Programs that rely on the money were expecting it to be distributed on July 1, but the Department of Education issued a last-minute notice stating that the money would not be released while the programs are under review, according to the School Superintendents Association.

An OMB spokesperson told Newsweek Thursday that "Initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly abused to promote a radical leftwing DEI agenda, subsidize the Open Border Crisis, and in many cases, directly violate Presidential Executive Orders."

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (L) greets Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the end of a hearing on Capitol Hill on June 3, 2025. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (L) greets Education Secretary Linda McMahon at the end of a hearing on Capitol Hill on June 3, 2025. Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

However, contrary to the Trump administration's concerns that the funds have been supporting "radical leftwing" programs, the ten Republican senators wrote that the funds are instead going towards initiatives "that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs."

The list of Republicans speaking out against the Trump administration's freeze includes some former educators, such as Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Deb Fischer. Capito, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, led the letter.

Full List of Republican Senators Pushing to Unfreeze School Funds

Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia

Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia

Senator Susan Collins of Maine

Senator John Boozman of Arkansas

Senator Katie Boyd Britt of Alabama

Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska

Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

Senator Michael Rounds of South Dakota

What People Are Saying

An OMB spokesperson told Newsweek: "This is an ongoing programmatic review of education funding. Initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly abused to promote a radical leftwing DEI agenda, subsidize the Open Border Crisis, and in many cases, directly violate Presidential Executive Orders. 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. 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."

Alabama Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey told ABC News: "We're talking about programs that Congress has already authorized and just three weeks before school starts, you just find that the check is not coming."

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a July 14 press release: "The President does not have the authority to decline spending funds appropriated by Congress, and as long as this Administration continues to violate our laws, I will continue to hold him accountable."

What Happens Next

Over the past few weeks, school leaders and advocacy groups have warned that the delayed disbursement will create budget shortfalls and may lead to cuts in key services for vulnerable students.

It is not clear when the Trump administration will complete its review and whether the funding will be released. A coalition of states has sued for injunctive relief.

Update 7/17/25, 2:44 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Office of Management and Budget.

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[1] Url: https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-republicans-urging-trump-unfreeze-funds-k-12-schools-2100246

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