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

This story appeared in The Logoff, a each day e-newsletter that helps you keep knowledgeable concerning the Trump administration with out letting political information take over your life. Subscribe right here.Welcome to The Logoff: At present, I’m specializing in the Trump administration’s resolution to withhold practically $7 billion in federal training funding.What simply occurred? The Trump administration refused to launch congressionally mandated funding to assist quite a lot of training initiatives: after-school and summer season applications, applications for college kids who’re studying English, trainer coaching, classroom expertise, and extra. The practically $7 billion was allotted to states and native colleges, and may have gone out on Tuesday. Its loss can be significantly dangerous as a result of college districts have already made plans with the idea that the cash could 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 assessment. 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 named impoundment — the choice to not spend cash that Congress has already appropriated for a selected objective.Can they try this? Probably not — however we’ll see how the courts rule, for the reason that administration’s resolution is nearly sure to be challenged in court docket. Although the president can request Congress withdraw funding — and making that request would set off a short lived freeze — the administration hasn’t achieved so on this case. What’s the massive image right here? The Trump administration is waging a battle towards the congressional energy of the purse, led by Workplace of Administration and Price range director Russ Vought (of Mission 2025 fame). The choice to withhold training funding is one in all a lot of efforts to wrest spending energy from Congress, and up to date reporting suggests the administration is contemplating methods to step up its assault and problem restrictions on impoundment extra broadly. If it’s profitable, it is going to be a serious enlargement of Trump’s powers — and one other blow to Congress’s. And with that, it’s time to sign off…I completely liked this story from my colleague Bryan Walsh concerning the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which simply final month shared its first photographs of the cosmos. The telescope itself is a scientific marvel that has already supplied helpful information to researchers, however, as Bryan factors out, it’s additionally the “final perspective supplier,” a reminder of our place in an enormous, 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!