Call to Action: Federal Title Funding - July 21, 2025

/ 21 July 2025 / 0 Comments / jen@iowaschool…

CALL TO ACTION

Federal Title Funding

July 21, 2025

Download the Printable Call to Action on Federal Title Funding

Several federal funding and eligibility decisions by the executive branch will impact children as school starts next month, if not reversed.

Title Funds Hold: As announced on June 30, 2025, $6.8 Billion in federal title funds (all except for Title I) were held from distribution to states pending executive branch review to ensure prior administration directions do not conflict with President Trump’s priorities. Following review, funds for 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, totaling $1.8 Billion, were released to be distributed last Friday. See this morning’s Iowa Capital Dispatch article reporting on the status, which states:

“The administration has faced bipartisan backlash over its decision to freeze billions of dollars that also go toward migrant education, English-language learning, adult education and literacy programs, among other initiatives. Those other funds apparently remained stalled on Friday, and Democrats, a key Republican appropriator and school leaders called for them to be released as well.”

The article also reported that a letter signed by 10 Senate Republicans was delivered to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) asking for immediate release of the funds. (Please note: this hold does NOT impact IDEA special education funding.)

Requested Advocacy Actions of UEN Members: 1) Contact Federal Representatives and Senators re Title Funds Hold, 2) Provide Comments on U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) Rules on Immigrant Eligibility and 3) Engage local business leaders on this issue.

1) Contact Federal Representatives (see contact information at the end of this call to action): Contact your Congressional Representatives as well as Senators Grassley and Senator Ernst to advocate for release of the remaining Title funds previously appropriated by Congress and necessary for services to children already planned (and staff hired) for the FY 2026 school year beginning in just five weeks. If you have already contacted them, please reach out again and ask for any new status updates.

Also ask them to exert Congressional authority to delay or reverse the Head Start and CTE executive branch actions announced last week, effective immediately, with no direction or guidance, as school leaders already have students enrolled or registered for Head Start and CTE college credit programs. (Additional details of these Executive Branch changes to Perkins Oversight and Eligibility of Immigrants to receive Head Start and CTE services from AASA each follow below).

2) Submit Public Comments (and share with others to also submit comments):

The HHS notice impacting Head Start and 11 other programs is open for public comment for 30 days and will close on August 13, 2025.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit” A Notice by the Health and Human Services Department on 07/14/2025 This document has a comment period that ends in 27 days on August 13, 2025.

Perkins Oversight: U.S. Dept. of Education (ED) and U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL) Interagency Agreement concerns school leaders that Federal DOL operation of CTE programs just as school is starting, will create unnecessary disruptions in educational services for students. The following comes from the AASA advocacy blog (use this AASA link and the comments below in your comments regarding the proposed HHS rules).

Administration Moves to Disqualify Immigrant Students from Head Start and Certain CTE Programs

https://www.aasa.org/resources/blog/ed-and-dol-interagency-agreement-re-perkins

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 - which overhauled the nation’s welfare system – places restrictions that deny immigrants the ability to receive public benefits. Last week, the Trump administration announced that it is utilizing the authority of PRWORA to prohibit immigrant families from accessing services it says are similar to welfare, including federally funded early childhood and career and technical education.

The notices from HHS and ED take aim at Head Start, the preschool program for children from families living in poverty, and federally funded dual enrollment and early college programs that allow high school students to earn college credit. There is an expectation that this is an attempt to move towards a challenge to Plyler v. Doe because the Trump Administration could issue guidance saying that LEAs that run Head Start programs or offer early college programs must verify documentation status of students participating in the program.

While effective immediately, no official guidance or additional information for providers has been released. AASA will continue to update us as more information becomes available.

3. Engage Local Business Leaders: Also, encourage your local business leaders dependent on immigrant labor and community leaders working together to educate children of immigrant laborers to contact federal representatives as well.

Contact Information for Federal Lawmakers (July 2025)

U.S. Senators from Iowa

Senator Chuck Grassley (R–IA)

Website form: Contact via official form on his Senate website https://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact/questions-and-comments
James Rice, Legislative Director, james_rice@grassley.senate.gov
For security reasons, no attachments are able to be included with your message. Please fax any attachments to 202-224-6020.

Senator Joni Ernst (R–IA)

Website form: Email via her official contact page https://www.ernst.senate.gov/contact/email-joni
For security reasons, no attachments are able to be included with your message. Please fax any attachments to 202-224-9369.
Alexandra Adair, Education Legislative Staff ?, alexandra_adair@ernst.senate.gov
Sheila Cole, Sr. Policy Advisor, sheila_cole@ernst.senate.gov