Warner, Kaine say Trump admin 'illegally' withholding $108 million from Virginia schools

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine are demanding the Trump Administration release $108 million in federal funding earmarked for Virginia’s K-12 schools, accusing the administration of deliberately withholding money that Congress approved to support teacher training, after-school programs, mental health resources and more.

The Trump administration has accused states and schools of using federal education grants earmarked for immigrants’ children and low-income students to help fund “a radical leftwing agenda.”

On Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget said an initial review showed schools used some of the money to support immigrants in the country illegally or promote LGBTQ+ inclusion. The administration said it hadn't made any final decisions about whether to withhold or release individual grants.

“Many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.

In a joint statement released Wednesday, Warner and Kaine criticized the White House for missing a key deadline to distribute $6.2 billion in federal funding to states nationwide. Virginia’s share of that pot accounts for more than 12 percent of the Commonwealth’s total K-12 funding, the senators said.

“Virginians know that high-quality public schools and the well-being of our children are critical to the Commonwealth’s future and economic success,” the senators said. 

“The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold over $6 billion in funding that Congress appropriated for schools across the country, while pushing for a disastrous megabill that slashes programs Virginians rely on to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, tells you everything you need to know about their priorities. This move will devastate our students, especially those in our rural communities.”

The senators called on the administration to “immediately provide Virginia schools with the $108 million in funding we voted to secure,” and urged other state leaders to do the same.

The withheld funding was intended to help school divisions across Virginia cover costs for teacher professional development, expanded after-school activities and mental health resources for students.