The Education Department froze more than $5 billion as part of a program review that Democrats argued violated the law.
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After weeks of uncertainty and mounting criticism, the Trump administration said Friday that it will release more than $5 billion in education grants that support a range of K–12 and postsecondary programs and was supposed to be doled out by July 1.
That includes about $716 million for adult education programs, according to a letter obtained by Education Week, as well as $375 million for migrant education. The funding freeze had disrupted plans at community colleges throughout the country as administrators grappled with how to continue their programs without the money. Some colleges already laid off employees, while others warned that job losses were likely. (The president of the national association for the College Assistance for Migrants Program said Monday that funding for postsecondary migrant ed programs was still on hold.)
The Office of Management and Budget put a hold on the billions while it reviewed the programs. An OMB spokesperson said earlier this month that “initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda,” though the statement made no mention of adult ed programs. The Trump administration has proposed zeroing out funding for adult and migrant education in its budget for fiscal year 2026.
The change comes as some Congress members voiced concern about the impact of the freeze. Some Senate Republicans wrote to OMB that “withholding these funds will harm students, families, and local economies.” Congressional Democrats were more forceful in their criticisms, arguing that the freeze violated federal laws that require agencies to disperse congressionally approved funds.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington State, said in a statement that there was “no good reason for the chaos and stress” caused by the freeze.
“This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion,” she added. “You don’t thank a burglar for returning your cash after you’ve spent a month figuring out if you’d have to sell your house to make up the difference.”
In letters announcing the release of funds, Trump administration officials noted that grantees must comply with all federal laws and that the Education Department plans to review “grantees’ use of funds to ensure ongoing compliance.”
