Susan Crabtree writes for Real Clear Politics about disturbing new accusations from a federal government agency.
The Trump administration is refusing to say if and when it will release $6.8 billion in federal education grants to states pending a review, arguing that several states and school districts have misused the funds to perpetuate “a radical left-wing agenda.”
Key Democrats this week decried the administration’s decision to withhold the funds, which are usually granted to states by July 1, and intended for English-language instruction, after-school and summer programs, adult literacy, and other programs. The funding freeze, which the administration abruptly announced this week, is disrupting summer camps as the providers struggle to determine if they can still offer their day camps and after-school programming. It’s also upending school districts’ ability to plan for the next school year.
A Department of Education spokeswoman referred questions about the frozen funds to the Office of Management and Budget. An OMB spokesman said no decisions have been made on whether to release, cut, or rescind the funds, calling it a “an ongoing programmatic review” to ensure that the grants reflect President Trump’s priorities.
“Initial findings show that many of these grants programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda,” the spokesman said in statement to RealClearPolitics.
Asked for specifics, OMB officials said it had found an example in New York in which public schools had used funds designated for English-language learning to promote “illegal immigrant advocacy organizations.” The agency, which oversees federal spending, also said funds had used the grants to steer illegal immigrants towards “scholarships intended for American students.” In an unspecified case, the school improvement funds were allegedly used for a seminar on “queer resistance in the arts.”
Congressional Democrats, governors and Democratic state education administrators are vowing to fight the freeze in court, arguing that the Trump administration’s abrupt action is illegal because Congress already appropriated the money.
