The Trump administration is teaching American schoolchildren a harsh lesson in strongman politicking with its ongoing assault on the U.S. educational system.
Technically, Trump’s efforts to completely dismantle and close the Department of Education were shut down by a judge in May — although the Trump administration is appealing the ruling. But the president is already undercutting the department's mission by slashing more than $1 billion in grants for school-based mental health programs over claims that they constitute unlawful "diversity" education and pulling many other grants for school arts programs as part of an effort to gut the National Endowment for the Arts.
Now, his administration is withholding nearly $7 billion in grants meant for K-12 programs nationwide.
On June 30, state education officials were given a last-minute notice that the White House was withholding the grants. An Office of Management and Budget official told The Washington Post that the grants are under review to determine whether they are being used to fund a “radical leftwing agenda” — specifically, whether the funds have been used for purposes such as scholarships for undocumented immigrant students or teachings on LGBTQ topics.
Per the report:
The funding supports after-school, English-language learning, adult education and other programs, meaning its loss would have a seismic impact across the country, including on families who rely on before- and after-school programming. The delay in disbursement affects six grant programs that have long been funded by the federal government. Across the country on Wednesday, program providers were already feeling the effects, among them: A nonprofit in Alabama halted registration for its free after-school program. A school district nearby was fielding calls from worried parents. A YMCA in Ohio was scrambling to avoid staff layoffs.
Education-focused news outlet EdWeek crunched DOE data to show how much money each state stands to lose if the cuts are maintained, and the outlet reports low-income areas and rural areas — which, in many cases, contain many Trump voters — stand to be the hardest-hit by this latest impoundment of funds.
I'll note here that withholding these grants appears to undercut several of Trump's expressed goals and promises. Trump has portrayed himself as a hero to working-class Americans, but these cuts undermine after-school programs which help many working-class parents. Trump also signed an executive order this year "designating" English the official language of the United States, but he is undercutting programs that help people learn English.
It's a harmful move that speaks to the president's political incoherence. He's leaving many of America's schoolchildren, and arguably their parents, in a lurch — all in the name of demonizing immigrants and LGBTQ people.