Trump regime steals school funding while Republican leaders remain silent

By Lauren Necochea
Reader Contributor

Public schools are one of the few promises we make to every child. No matter your background, income or ZIP code, your kids have a place to learn and prepare for their future. That promise only works if we meet our obligations to fund it. When funding is delayed or withheld, the damage is immediate and far-reaching.

That’s what happened on July 1. School districts across the country opened their accounts expecting long-promised federal education dollars. Congress approved the money. President Donald Trump signed it into law. Yet it never arrived. Instead, they received an email stating that the Department of Education was withholding the money, without warning or justification. 

It’s a violation of the law. Under the Constitution, Congress controls the purse strings. The executive branch can’t simply ignore funding mandates because it feels like it.

The freeze blocks an estimated $33.3 million from reaching schools across Idaho. Districts need it to staff their classrooms. Teachers count on it to deepen their skills. Students rely on it for after-school and summer learning. 

The Lincoln County Youth Center lost half its annual budget in the blink of an eye. For four years, they’ve leveraged a $140,000 grant to serve up to 75 children daily while their parents are at work. Now, they’re scrambling for emergency funds, unable to guarantee that they can stay open.

There’s no slack in the system to absorb this recklessness. Idaho schools already operate on some of the lowest per-student funding in the nation. Districts have been warned about looming budget reductions of 2% to 6% due to deep revenue cuts that Republican legislators rammed through alongside their $50 million voucher scheme.

Democratic leaders are speaking out. House Democrats have filed legal briefs opposing the Trump regime’s attempt to tank the Department of Education, are demanding accountability and are working to ensure the funds are delivered.

Meanwhile, our state’s Republican leaders are silent. Every Idaho Republican in Congress voted to approve this funding. Gov. Brad Little and Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield are watching the schools they oversee take these hits. Yet there’s been zero outcry. Even as the Trump regime steals funding and learning opportunities from Idaho’s schoolchildren, GOP leaders refuse to criticize him publicly.

Idaho’s children don’t get a do-over. They get one shot at third grade, one chance to benefit from a summer enrichment program and one year with a teacher with specialized literacy training. Every day funding is withheld is another day they lose out.

We can’t be silent about the lawlessness and disregard for our kids coming from the government meant to serve us. 

This shouldn’t be partisan. Idaho families deserve leaders brave enough to stand up to this abuse of power and put kids first.

Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.