LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – State Superintendent Michael Rice called on the U.S. Department of Education to release nearly $7 billion in school funding nationwide, including over $150 million for Michigan.

Dept. of Ed. Statement.

The Department of Education issued the following statement May 31:

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“Given the change in Administrations, the Department is reviewing the FY 2025 funding for the [Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B] grant program(s), and decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year. Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review. The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.”

Rices’ Statement.

Rice is joining other states in calling for the Department of Education to restore federal funding.

“The U.S. Department of Education is hurting students in Michigan and across the country by withholding federal dollars that were appropriated by Congress and signed by President Trump on March 15, 2025,” Rice said in a statement last week. “Based on past practice, local school districts were rightly counting on this approved funding by July 1 for programs to support migrant education, services for English learners, staff professional development, before- and after-school programs, and academic enrichment.”

He continued: “These federal dollars support some of our most economically disadvantaged and vulnerable students. The U.S. Department of Education should provide the approved funding immediately. The Michigan Department of Education is working with colleagues across the country and with legal counsel to reflect upon the adverse impact to students, staff, and schools of this withholding.”

White House spokesperson.

A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said funding is being withheld as part of an ongoing review of education funding.

Initial findings, the spokesperson said, “have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.”