The Great Grant Ghosting of 2025

A Budget Freeze So Cold, Even Bureaucracy Got Frostbite

Let me get this straight: the U.S. Department of Education—the federal agency literally created to fund, support, and safeguard public schooling—has just decided to freeze nearly $6.8 billion in congressionally approved education funds because… they need more time to “review” them?

If this sounds like a late-stage Kafka novel rewritten by Ayn Rand’s interns, that’s because it is.

This funding freeze—cloaked in bureaucratic word salad about “aligning with the President’s priorities”—is a barely disguised act of sabotage aimed directly at the programs serving the country’s most vulnerable students. We’re talking Title II-A (teacher training), Title III-A (English Learners), Title I-C (migrant education), Title IV-A (student support), and the very programs that help students who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Which, apparently, is now part of the policy goal.

What’s the logic here? That we shouldn’t spend money on teacher development until we’ve fully assessed whether teachers are patriotic enough? That migrant students might learn too much if they have access to summer school? That English learners should just figure it out on their own? It’s almost impressive—this much cruelty crammed into one passive-aggressive administrative maneuver.

And let’s not overlook the timing: this freeze was announced after schools had already submitted plans, hired staff, and publicly committed to summer and fall programming. It’s like handing someone car keys, inviting them on a road trip, and slashing their tires halfway to the destination—then shrugging and calling it a “compliance check.”

Worse still, the freeze affects 33 states and territories, slashing more than 10% of their expected federal K–12 allocations. In California alone, this jeopardizes over $800 million in funding. That’s not a budget pause. That’s arson disguised as thrift.

I’ve worked in education long enough to know what these funds do. They train teachers who work with our newcomers, support students facing housing instability, and provide after-school programs in communities where enrichment isn’t optional—it’s the only shot at safe, structured time.

But here we are, with the U.S. Department of Education trying to “review” its way out of its own legal responsibilities. I suppose next they'll be “reviewing” whether gravity still applies in classrooms.

Let me remind everyone: Congress already passed the law. These funds are not optional. They're not aspirational. They are statutory. To withhold them under some vague and unsubstantiated claim of realignment is not just unethical—it’s possibly illegal. The law doesn't allow federal agencies to simply ghost their obligations because they're having a political identity crisis.

This move doesn’t just erode trust. It bulldozes it, sets the rubble on fire, and blames the arson on paperwork.

Enough. Reverse the freeze. Release the funds. And if the Department truly wants to “align” with the needs of this country, it can start by remembering what public education is actually for: educating the public.