STATEMENT: Sens. Schiff, Padilla Call on Trump to Release Billions of Dollars in Funding for Public Education

Washington, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement demanding the immediate release of funding for K-12 public schools after the Trump Administration announced its intent to illegally withhold over $6 billion in Congressionally appropriated education funds, including approximately $928 million from California:
“Just weeks away from the start of the school year, the Trump Administration has managed to find trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires but went out of their way to freeze education funding that Trump, himself, signed into law. That’s not just wrong for our students — it’s wrong for our economy, too.
“If the Trump Administration goes through with their latest political attack on California and our nation’s public education, it will punish the teachers and principals who are already underpaid and under-resourced. It will force schools to roll back after-school programs, hurt the children of farm workers traveling to pick our food, and hold back students who rely on English-language classes.
“This reckless decision threatens the future of America’s workforce and our global competitiveness. And if the Administration is asking for a fight, make no mistake — California will give it to them.”
The Trump Administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs from being available to school districts across America:
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