Funding Freeze: Who's Really Affected?

The Trump administration has decided to hold back over $6 billion in education grants. These funds were meant for programs helping kids from low-income families and immigrants. The administration claims some of this money was used for things they don't agree with. They say it was used to support immigrants who are in the country without legal papers and to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion. They are looking into the grants to see if they fit with President Trump's priorities. This has left schools and summer camps in a tough spot. They don't know if they can still offer programs like day camps or after-school care. The Office of Management and Budget said they found some money was used to help immigrants without legal status and for a seminar on "queer resistance in the arts. " New York and Washington state are mentioned as examples. New York used the money to support organizations helping immigrants without legal status. Washington state directed some funds to help immigrants without legal status get scholarships. The administration says these scholarships were meant for American students. Advocates for low-income and immigrant children see this as part of a bigger crackdown on immigrants. They say the administration is trying to mix up all students learning English with those who are in the country illegally. In reality, most English learners in public schools were born in the United States. The freeze on these grants could hurt a lot of students. There are 5. 3 million English learners in public schools. They speak many different languages, not just Spanish. Even if students lack legal status, states can't deny them public education. This is because of a 1982 Supreme Court decision. Schools and states are still trying to figure out what this means for their students and staff. In Oregon, losing these grants would hurt efforts to help multilingual students and close opportunity gaps. It's a big deal, and it's not clear what will happen next.