Gov. JB Pritzker signed a letter with 17 other Democratic governors Thursday, calling on the Trump administration to release nearly $7 billion in withheld federal education grants.
The grants, already appropriated by Congress, were abruptly frozen the day before they were set to be disbursed July 1. The paused funding included $241.8 million for Illinois schools and community colleges, supporting a wide range of programs including English-language instruction and migrant education.
The White House initially said the funds were under review because they were being used to advance “a radical left-wing agenda.”
“The U.S. Department of Education’s failure to distribute these funds is unacceptable,” the letter said. “It disrupts school operations, undermines student services, and violates the Department’s obligation to administer funding in a timely and responsible manner.”
On Friday, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget said it had completed its review of one of the grants, releasing $1.3 billion for after-school programs. That still leaves billions of funding in limbo as schools scramble to set their budgets for the upcoming school year.
A coalition of 24 states including Illinois and the District of Columbia had sued the Trump administration July 14, accusing officials of illegally withholding the already-approved funds.
“The Trump administration is not only openly flouting the law, they are abandoning their responsibility to our students,” Pritzker said in a statement Thursday. “This unprecedented and irresponsible withholding of lawful, bipartisan funding will force cuts to critical programs and hold back the next generation from reaching their full potential.”
In Illinois, the impacted grants include $75.6 million for teacher training and professional development, $30.4 million for English learners, $56.6 million for student support and school upgrades, $1.9 million for migrant education, $20 million for adult education and $3 million for adult English learners and civics education.
The absence of funding has “caused unnecessary chaos for schools,” who rely on the allocations to support students and low-income families, according to the letter.
“This delay is arbitrary, unprecedented, and indefensible,” the letter said.
The letter was addressed to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. Along with Pritzker, it was signed by the governors from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
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July 21, 2025 at 11:33AM
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