Trump vs. after-school programs, briefly explained

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Welcome to The Logoff: Today, I’m focusing on the Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $7 billion in federal education funding.

What just happened? The Trump administration refused to release congressionally mandated funding to support a variety of education initiatives: after-school and summer programs, programs for students who are learning English, teacher training, classroom technology, and more.

The nearly $7 billion was allocated to states and local schools, and should have gone out on Tuesday. Its loss will be particularly harmful because school districts have already made plans with the assumption that the money would be there, only to have it pulled at the last minute.

What is the administration saying? The Trump administration argues the withholding isn’t a freeze and is instead because the funds are under review. But this argument is likely a fig leaf, given the administration’s opposition to the programs in question and its previous efforts to withhold funding for programs it disagrees with. What the administration appears to be doing is called impoundment — the decision not to spend money that Congress has already appropriated for a specific purpose.

Can they do that? Not really — but we’ll see how the courts rule, since the administration’s decision is almost certain to be challenged in court. Though the president can request Congress withdraw funding — and making that request would trigger a temporary freeze — the administration hasn’t done so in this case.

What’s the big picture here? The Trump administration is waging a war against the congressional power of the purse, led by Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought (of Project 2025 fame).

The decision to withhold education funding is one of a number of efforts to wrest spending power from Congress, and recent reporting suggests the administration is considering ways to step up its attack and challenge restrictions on impoundment more broadly. If it’s successful, it will be a major expansion of Trump’s powers — and another blow to Congress’s.

I absolutely loved this story from my colleague Bryan Walsh about the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which just last month shared its first images of the cosmos. The telescope itself is a scientific marvel that has already provided useful data to researchers, but, as Bryan points out, it’s also the “ultimate perspective provider,” a reminder of our place in a vast, beautiful universe. I hope you enjoy his piece — and the photos — as much as I did, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!