07.17.25

Senator Murray Blocks Fast-Track Consideration of Education Nominee as Trump Continues Blocking Nearly $7 Billion for Students & Schools Nationwide

ICYMI: Murray, Sanders, Baldwin Lead Colleagues in Demanding Vought, McMahon Stop Blocking Funding for Afterschool Programs, K-12 Schools Across America

 

ICYMI: Senator Murray Calls on Trump Admin to Immediately Release Billions in Funds K-12 Schools Across America are Counting On

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, objected to fast-track consideration of Mary Christina Riley, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the Department of Education, as President Trump continues to block nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult education programs across America just weeks away from the new school year. Riley’s nomination is privileged and could otherwise have skipped committee consideration; now, Senator Murray is forcing her nomination to go through a full committee process before it can be considered on the Senate floor.

 

“As schools nationwide scramble to figure out how many teachers they need to lay off and afterschool programs warn parents to make back up plans—all because President Trump is blocking over $6 billion in education funding he himself signed into law—there is no reason for any Department of Education nominee to skip committee consideration and get fast-tracked for confirmation.

“Just weeks out from the new school year, families, teachers, and school districts are suffering the consequences of President Trump’s needless and illegal blockade of this funding—and this administration won’t so much as explain why the money is held up or when we can expect it to go out.

“We need accountability, so I am forcing Mary Christina Riley’s nomination to serve as an assistant secretary at the Department of Education to go back to the HELP Committee, and I am once again calling on the Trump administration to immediately release this funding, as even ten of my Republican colleagues called for yesterday."

 

The Trump administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. School districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs, already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

 

The Trump administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:

  • Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
  • 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
  • Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
  • English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
  • Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
  • Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

 

###