NWLC Sounds Alarm as Head Start Programs Face Payment Delays After Trump’s Funding Freeze

Washington, DC – Some parents are unable to send their children to preschool as Head Start programs nationwide are reporting that they are unable to access critical federal funds — one week after Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) abruptly issued, then revoked, an order freezing federal grants and loans. This disruption has forced some Head Start programs to temporarily shut their doors after being unable to access the federal Payment Management System, leaving providers in the lurch and families without essential care.

Melissa Boteach, Vice President of Child Care and Income Security at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), released the following statement in response:  

“We are nearly a week removed from Trump’s disastrous and authoritarian order to freeze federal funds, and some Head Start providers are still unable to access the federal funding that they need to keep their staff paid and doors open. This is a stark reminder that Trump’s actions have real and devastating consequences, and that parents and young children are paying the price for the ensuing disfunction. Congress must act now to hold Trump accountable and ensure that Head Start providers receive the funding that they need to continue serving their communities.”

Trump’s nominee to head OMB, Russell Vought, is also the architect of the Project 2025 agenda, which calls for eliminating Head Start and taking away access to preschool from more than 800,000 children. The Senate is set to confirm Vought’s nomination as soon as this week. Click here to read more about Vought’s plans in Project 2025 to deny families child care.

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