Trump withholds $7 billion in schooling funding: What to know

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Welcome to The Logoff: In the present day, I’m specializing in the Trump administration’s resolution to withhold almost $7 billion in federal schooling funding.

What simply occurred? The Trump administration refused to launch congressionally mandated funding to assist quite a lot of schooling initiatives: after-school and summer time applications, applications for college students who're studying English, instructor coaching, classroom know-how, and extra.

The almost $7 billion was allotted to states and native faculties, and may have gone out on Tuesday. Its loss might be significantly dangerous as a result of college districts have already made plans with the belief that the cash can be there, solely to have it pulled on the final minute.

What's the administration saying? The Trump administration argues the withholding isn’t a freeze and is as a substitute as a result of the funds are underneath overview. However this argument is probably going a fig leaf, given the administration’s opposition to the applications in query and its earlier efforts to withhold funding for applications it disagrees with. What the administration seems to be doing is known as impoundment — the choice to not spend cash that Congress has already appropriated for a particular function.

Can they do this? Probably not — however we’ll see how the courts rule, for the reason that administration’s resolution is sort of sure to be challenged in courtroom. Although the president can request Congress withdraw funding — and making that request would set off a brief freeze — the administration hasn’t achieved so on this case.

What’s the large image right here? The Trump administration is waging a battle in opposition to the congressional energy of the purse, led by Workplace of Administration and Price range director Russ Vought (of Venture 2025 fame).

The choice to withhold schooling funding is one in every of quite a lot of efforts to wrest spending energy from Congress, and recent reporting suggests the administration is contemplating methods to step up its assault and problem restrictions on impoundment extra broadly. If it’s profitable, will probably be a significant growth of Trump’s powers — and one other blow to Congress’s.

And with that, it’s time to log out…

I completely beloved this story from my colleague Bryan Walsh in regards to the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which simply final month shared its first images of the cosmos . The telescope itself is a scientific marvel that has already supplied helpful knowledge to researchers, however, as Bryan factors out, it’s additionally the “final perspective supplier,” a reminder of our place in an unlimited, lovely universe. I hope you get pleasure from his piece — and the photographs — as a lot as I did, and I’ll see you again right here tomorrow!