Early Friday afternoon, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told WVXU it had completed its programmatic review for grants used to fund 21st Century Community Learning Centers and will be releasing funds to states, adding that it put guardrails in place to ensure the money is not used to violate executive orders. OMB did not elaborate on the guardrails.
The unfreezing of federal funds restores millions for state education departments in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. In the last fiscal year, Ohio received nearly $46 million for after-school programs, while Kentucky and Indiana each received almost $20 million.
States were notified June 30 — just one day before the grants were supposed to be released — that the Trump administration needed to review the grant-funded programs to ensure they aligned with the president's priorities.
A previous statement from OMB stated its initial findings showed many of the programs were being used to "promote a radical left-wing DEI agenda, subsidize the Open Border Crisis, [and] directly violate Presidential Executive Orders."
The Trump administration froze more than $6 billion in grant funding for K-12 schools nationwide. State education departments told WVXU the federal government was specifically withholding millions for educational programs geared toward students learning English, migrant students, adult education, and professional development.
While funding for at least some after-school programs is being restored, grants for the rest of those programs remain frozen. It's also unclear which after-school programs are in violation of executive orders and how much state education departments now expect to receive.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce told WVXU Friday afternoon the department had not yet been notified that the funding had been unfrozen.
'These funds are essential'
Democrats and Republicans have both criticized the Trump administration's decision to pause education funding.
The District of Columbia (DC) and 24 states led by Democratic governors are suing President Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon for withholding the funds.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said earlier this week that his state can't go without the grants.
"In Kentucky, $96 million in federal education funds are at risk. Our kids and our future depend on a strong education, and these funds are essential to making sure our kids succeed," Beshear said in a statement.
Several Republican Senators, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, also have called on the White House to release all the funds back to the states.
In a letter signed by McConnell and nine other Republican senators sent to the director of OMB, the Republican leaders told the office their states were depending on the funds.
"We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs," the letter read. "However, we do not believe that this is happening with these funds. These funds go to support programs that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school-aged children which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies."
The Kentucky Department of Education and the Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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