Key Takeaways
$4.5 Billion
$12 Billion
On May 2, the Trump administration unveiled its blueprint for the fiscal year 2025-06 federal budget. Since it does not list specific funding requests for every federal program, the 46-page document is a “skinny” budget. Congress ultimately decides how federal government dollars are spent (the fiscal year begins October 1) but the proposal is a clear signal of the White House’s priorities: a massive 23 percent cut to U.S. domestic spending, and, in the process, continue hollowing out the nation’s public education system.
This should come as no surprise to anyone following the administration’s actions over the past 100 days. Through a flurry of executive orders—including ordering the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education—the administration has made gutting education funding, and diverting taxpayer dollars to private schools, a major priority of Trump’s second term. No federal education program—almost none—has been spared.
The budget proposal would slice $12 billion from the Department of Education, eliminate many K-12 and higher education programs – reflecting funding levels of an agency, in the words of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, “that is responsibly winding down.”
In fact, said NEA President Becky Pringle, the proposed cuts are a “slap in the face” to educators and students across the nation.
“For too long, parents, educators and students have pleaded with elected leaders to live up to their promise to every student and provide the resources give them every opportunity to thrive. And for too long, our leaders have failed us, and this is yet another example,” Pringle said. “Rather than investing in opportunity and equity, this proposal advances a harmful agenda that slashes essential programs millions of Americans rely on every day.”
Dismantling Civil Rights Protections
Incapacitating the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been a top priority for the administration. That office recently lost more than 40 percent after the White House launched a massive downsizing of the department.
In its budget proposal, funding for OCR is cut by $49 million—35 percent of its entire budget. The administration justifies the reduction by smearing the OCR’s mission as one that “pushes DE programs and radical transgender ideology.”
In fact, OCR protects students in schools against discrimination based on race, gender, and disability, and the absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination, leading to lower levels of motivation and academic achievement and a higher risk of dropping out.
The administration’s assault on the office “serves the administration’s intent to dismantle civil rights protections in education and across the country,” according to the New America Foundation.
A Trial Run for Block Grants
The administration’s budget proposal states it will preserve funding for two extremely popular and highly effective programs— Title I, which provides finding to support students in low-income communities, and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures the right to education services for students with disabilities.
However, the administration is also calling for 18 unnamed federal K-12 programs be “streamlined” into a new “K-12 Simplified Funding Program.” This consolidating funding program would incur a $4.5 billion cut under the administration’s proposal.
Similarly, seven IDEA programs would be consolidated into a single, special education funding program.
By regrouping specific, separate programs, the administration could be laying the groundwork to turn these critical programs into block grants, which give states more flexibility on how the money is spent. Many lawmakers, including Republicans, are opposed to this idea because they know that block grants usually lead to less funding and less accountability.
As the strings attached to the funding are cut, many states could maneuver block grant funds over to private school voucher programs, the crown jewel of the Trump administration’s education policy agenda.
And without federal oversight, states would not have to answer to anyone about how the funds are used—and whether important rights, protections, and services for students are being safeguarded.
Blocking Access to Higher Education
The administration proposes eliminating TRIO and GEAR UP, two longstanding, bipartisan initiatives to expand access to college for low-income students. Stating that institutions of higher education should pay for their programs, the budget proposal calls the program a “relic of the past.” It also makes the outrageous claim that federal support in this critical area is unnecessary because “the pendulum has swung, and access to college is not the obstacle it was for students of limited means.”
Both programs provide offers grants and resources to help lower income students enroll and succeed in college. Established in 1998 as an amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965, GEAR UP, according to the Center for American Progress, currently serves approximately 570,000 students across almost 3,000 secondary schools, in which more than half of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch.
TRIO is a series of programs that offer financial aid and counseling to low-income and first-generation college students. It currently serves 880,000 students nationwide.
“[Trump’s budget] proposal is a direct attack on students who dare to dream of college in the face of adversity,” said Kimberly Jones, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education. “For decades, TRIO has proven to be a critical engine of economic mobility, and any attempt to dismantle these programs is shortsighted.”
The Only Program that Gets More Money
Amidst of these cuts, is any education program under the Trump proposal in line for an actual funding increase? Yes—charter schools. The proposal calls for investing $500 million, an increase of $60 million, to expand the number of charter schools across the country. Charter schools, along with private school vouchers, are a pillar of the school privatization agenda. While some have solid records and are held accountable the same way traditional public schools are, many charter schools have been mired in financial scandals and mismanagement. And their academic record is mixed at best.
In addition, a boost in federal funding could come on the heels of an upcoming Supreme Court decision that could force states to use public funding for religious charter schools, further draining scarce resources for traditional public schools.
