Senators grill Education Secretary Linda McMahon over proposed cuts
Education Secretary Linda McMahon testified to Congress over proposed budget cuts.
- After a monthlong delay, more than $118 million in federal K-12 funds will be released to Tennessee.
- The Trump administration missed a deadline to allocate $6.2 billion in funds nationwide, saying it was due to a review.
Nearly $119 million in frozen K-12 public school funds for Tennessee will soon be released, according to President Donald Trump’s administration.
The funds primarily support underserved children through things like after-school and summer learning programs, English learner resources and more. They were in limbo after the U.S. Education Department missed a key deadline to allocate the money earlier this month.
The move sparked anxiety, confusion and intense pushback from public school districts and advocates nationwide. An estimate from U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, said Tennessee stood to lose $118,985,396 this fiscal year if the funds remained frozen.
Nationwide, the funds added up to $6.2 billion and were part of a budget passed by Congress and signed by Trump. The Education Department previously said the money, which was set to be administered July 1, was under review because of the change in presidential administrations.
The Trump administration later announced that more than $1 billion of the paused funding would be released for after-school and summer learning programs. It was not clear how much of the initial $118 million set aside for Tennessee was released at that time.
On July 25, a spokesperson for the Education Department told USA TODAY that the review is now complete and that remaining funds will start flowing to schools next week.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children’s issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
