US EditionTrump administration improperly withheld Head Start money, GAO says
UNITED STATES, JUL 23 – The Government Accountability Office found the Trump administration withheld nearly $1 billion in Head Start funds, cutting support for over 750,000 children despite congressional appropriations.
- On July 23, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding Head Start funds.
- Between January 20 and April 15, 2025, Head Start programs received only 65% of expected funding and about $825 million less was disbursed as GAO cited administrative delays.
- Sen. Patty Murray said HHS did not impound Head Start funds, while Yasmina Vinci noted increased disbursements for fiscal year 2025 Head Start grant funding, according to an HHS spokesperson.
- Earlier this month, Head Start announced it would no longer accept undocumented children, prompting a lawsuit by 21 Democratic state attorneys general and causing some centers to temporarily close, affecting over 400 children and staffers.
- After nationwide backlash and legal challenges, HHS reversed course in May on its budget proposal, and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle said `The power of the purse belongs to Congress, not the president`.
38 Articles
38 Articles
Trump illegally withheld Head Start payments, government watchdog says • Oklahoma Voice
Federal payments for Head Start this year were significantly behind schedule compared with 2024 and that violated the Impoundment Control Act, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. (Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images)The Health and Human Services Department illegally withheld payments from Head Start for the first months of President Donald Trump’s term, a government watchdog reported Wednesday. HHS payments for H…
Commissioners cover Boulder County Head Start budget shortfall
The Boulder County commissioners recently agreed to spend an additional $561,000 to keep the county’s three Head Start preschool sites open for at least another year amid federal funding uncertainties. In March, the county started investigating what it would take to run its own program after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rejected its grant application to renew the federally funded, safety-net preschool program. Commissioner As…
HHS Violated Law by Withholding Head Start Program Funding: GAO Report
The federal government broke the law when it temporarily withheld funding for the Head Start early education program for low-income children, a nonpartisan government watchdog said in a report released on July 23. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violated the law by “withholding funds from expenditure” for the program between Jan. 20 and April 15, 2025. Head Star…
Trump administration violated law in delaying US Head Start education funding, GAO report finds
The Trump administration's temporary freeze on federal funds for the Head Start early education program for low-income children was illegal, a non-partisan government watchdog concluded in a report released on Wednesday, as the White House continues to challenge Congress' authority over spending.
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