White House budget office withholds more than $2 billion for education grants approved by Congress

The White House budget office is withholding more than $2 billion that Congress approved in February for over 30 K-12 and higher education grant programs the Trump administration has repeatedly proposed to eliminate, according to publicly available apportionment documents.

Lawmakers approved the U.S. Department of Education’s fiscal 2026 budget on Feb. 3. But federal law requires the Office of Management and Budget to apportion funds before agencies can spend them. As of May 5—more than seven months into the current federal fiscal year, which ends Sept.

30—OMB has unlocked little or no funding for nearly three dozen of the department’s competitive grant programs, the documents show. Major line items still awaiting access include $235 million for education research, $220 million for teacher preparation and training, $150 million for community schools initiatives, and $139 million for magnet schools.

In most cases, the Education Department is not required to disburse these funds to grantees until later this year, and some observers are watching to see how long the apportionment delay lasts before assuming disruptions are inevitable.

“It is concerning that they aren’t following the law and apportioning the funds in the timeline and manner directed by Congress, but I am hopeful they will spend the money as required in the appropriations bill for the grant programs,” said Amanda Miller, who oversaw the department’s higher education programs during the Biden administration.

The second Trump administration has come under scrutiny, including this week, for using the apportionment process to withhold congressionally appropriated funds across the federal government. In education, uncertainty over grant status is already prompting anxiety about delayed competitions and potential funding gaps in the months ahead.

One example: the department’s migrant education office announced in March that it plans to launch competitions this year for the High School Equivalency Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program (HEP and CAMP). Yet the most recent OMB document listing those programs shows only $181,701 apportioned.

The full congressional appropriation for the two is $52 million. The longer the wait for the funds to flow to the department, the more nervous current grantees hoping to renew their awards will become, said Greg Contreras, a CAMP project director at Portland Community College in Oregon.

Without the money, he said, programs could be forced to lay off staff and halt student services, including onboarding new recruits. “There are real implications if this delay of the grant competition continues,” Contreras said. For now, advocates, grantees, and legal experts are closely tracking OMB’s next steps.

With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, continued