Editor’s note: This article was updated at 4 p.m. on July 18.
The Trump administration will release at least some of the $7 billion in federal education grants that were not awarded as scheduled on July 1, according to a social media post on Friday by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), who chairs of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
The withheld funds include more than $715 million for Adult Basic Education (ABE) Grants. While Capito’s post implies that all funds will be released, it’s uncertain to which programs she is referring.
The American Association of Community Colleges is monitoring the withholding of awarded funds, including ABE grants. It does not yet have details on a new disbursement timeline but expects that information soon.
This action comes after a group of 10 Republican senators sent a July 16 letter urging Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to release the approved funds, stating that “the decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states.” The letter highlighted the importance of the funding in serving adult learners transitioning into postsecondary education.
House and Senate Democrats also sent several letters to the Education Department on this issue, and a group of 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the administration over the withheld funds.
