From the reception that some members of the Senate Appropriations Committee gave U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Tuesday, it appeared not much has changed. 

Both Republicans and Democrats grilled the secretary over the Trump administration鈥檚 plan to cut funding for rural schools and programs that help low-income students enter and complete college. 

Consolidating $220 million for rural education with 16 other programs 鈥� including literacy grants, education for homeless students and afterschool programs 鈥� into a $2 billion Make Education Great Again grant program would 鈥渦ndermine the goals of helping our K through 12 schools,鈥� Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the committee, told McMahon. 鈥淧rotecting rural schools and rural communities has always been one of my top priorities.鈥� 

Throughout the two-hour hearing, McMahon defended the president鈥檚 $76.5 billion , saying that although 鈥渋t is a reduction,鈥� the block grant proposal 鈥� a long time goal for conservatives 鈥� would give states more say over how to spend federal dollars. The so-called MEGA grant program will prioritize reading and math, McMahon said, and 鈥渦nleash momentous opportunity for every child to realize their God-given potential.鈥�

The budget would maintain funding for Title I, serving high-poverty schools, at $18.4 million, and boost spending for students with disabilities by over $500 million. 

But the proposal includes a 35% cut to the Office for Civil Rights and eliminates some programs completely. Those include $428 million in services for migrant children and what is known as TRIO, a batch of programs that prepare students for higher education as early as middle school. 

鈥淚 oppose the administration’s proposal to 鈥� eliminate a program that enjoys robust support and has made such a difference in the lives of children,鈥� Collins said, noting that three of her staff members would not have attended college without TRIO.

She was among the six Republicans and six Democrats who sent McMahon earlier this month objecting to how the department has altered two of the TRIO grants to direct students toward the workforce instead of college. 

鈥淐ollege is not the only solution for everyone,鈥� McMahon told the members.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, cited data showing that low-income, high school students who participate in Upward Bound are more than twice as likely to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree by age 24 than their peers who don鈥檛 participate. 

鈥淭he stats from these programs are pretty damn impressive,鈥� he said. 

Even Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who has authored that would eliminate the Education Department, called TRIO a “sensitive area鈥� and urged McMahon to consider the committee鈥檚 concerns. 

Other Republicans praised the secretary for continuing efforts to shut down the department in the face of extensive criticism.

鈥淵ou are so cool, literally and figuratively,鈥� said Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. 鈥淭hey call you names, and you just ignore them.鈥�

鈥�50 years of progress鈥�

To some Democrats, McMahon has also turned her back on parents who don鈥檛 want to see special education offloaded to another agency. The secretary said her team still hasn鈥檛 decided what would happen to programs that fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Some might go to the Department of Labor, while others could go to the Department of Health and Human Services, she said.

鈥淚’ve gotten a petition from thousands of parents, educators, advocates who are concerned that will really undermine 50 years of progress in making sure the rights of children and students with disabilities are met,鈥� said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, ranking member of the committee.

Both Murray and Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut clashed with McMahon over the way her staff has handled civil rights enforcement. 

鈥淗ow do you defend that not a single child in Connecticut got a positive resolution from the Department of Education for their discrimination claims?鈥� Murphy asked her. 鈥淪eventy of them had disability claims.鈥�

While he鈥檚 not on the committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, released a calling McMahon鈥檚 OCR 鈥渢he least productive in over a decade.鈥� The document notes that the office reached 鈥渮ero resolution agreements for students facing serious traumatic incidents including sexual harassment, sexual violence, seclusion, restraint, racial harassment and discriminatory school discipline.鈥�

He cited a January government watchdog report showing that putting OCR staff on paid leave last year, after she tried to fire them, cost taxpayers at least $38 million. 

McMahon insisted that the administration was ramping up efforts to address such complaints and seemed confused that the president calls for a $49 million cut to OCR, bringing the budget to $91 million.

鈥淭hat’s a floor number,鈥� she said. 鈥淗opefully we’ll have the ability to increase that number.鈥�

She ordered OCR staff on leave to return in December to address a backlog of cases, and is supervisors and attorneys for regional offices. An internal memo, shared with 社区黑料, shows the regional directors would go to Denver, Seattle and the D.C. offices. But according to an OCR attorney, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, there have been 鈥渓ots of departures鈥� among those McMahon brought back. 

鈥極verdue for a debate鈥�

Some who watched the exchanges between McMahon and the committee Tuesday were struck by the level of bipartisanship over the TRIO program.

鈥淚t shows the kind of Congressional support these programs have built up over many years, and the strong constituencies they have behind them,鈥� said Maureen Tracey-Mooney, associate director of FutureEd, a Georgetown University think tank. Previously, she led K-12 policy development for the Biden White House.

She added that the programs that McMahon aims to wrap into the MEGA program 鈥渇ocus on the most vulnerable student groups.鈥� 

Those would include students who need after-school care and are currently served by the 21st Century Community Learn Centers program. 

鈥淲hat do you do once they leave the classroom when they’re so young and they can’t obviously take care of themselves at home?鈥� asked Republican Sen. Shelley Capito of West Virginia.

McMahon responded that it would be up to states to decide whether after-school programs are a priority for them.鈥淲e’re certainly overdue for a debate about how to best support our nation’s students,鈥� Tracey-Mooney said. 鈥淏ut I think we are unlikely to see a rigorous engagement in Congress with these ideas through the budget process.鈥�

It was the first-ever cancellation of grants for , a federal program that has helped disadvantaged students across the U.S. enter college and graduate since 1964. While a district court judge recently ruled the Trump administration鈥檚 move illegal, TRIO staff and advocates say the loss of funds is hindering thousands of students鈥� chances to have a successful future after high school.

More than at various colleges around the country shuttered after the Trump administration canceled in September. The , which represents 1,000 colleges and nonprofits that participate in TRIO, sued the government weeks later.

鈥淭RIO comes under existential threat about once every 10 to 15 years,鈥� said Kimberly Jones, the council鈥檚 president. 鈥淓ven during the first Trump administration, there were calls for cuts to the program. But this is the first time we’ve seen grants canceled within our programs and canceled without going through the due process that should be afforded to them.鈥�

In January, a district court judge of the council and the administration to reconsider the grants for colleges that joined the lawsuit. Jones said the government still needs to comply and that there鈥檚 no timeline for when funding might be restored. 

The Trump administration canceled funding for a variety of local TRIO , including Talent Search, which exposes students in grades 6-12 to colleges and future career options, and assists high schoolers with college entrance exams, financial counseling and tutoring. Funding for Upward Bound, which brings high schoolers to universities for intensive courses during the school year, was also halted. The other half of TRIO鈥檚 services are programs for college students, veterans and adult learners.

In 1980, TRIO was standardized in the and Congress mandated that two-thirds of participants come from low-income families in which neither parent graduated from college. The organization currently serves around 875,000 students in 3,500 programs.

Jones said the affected programs were targeted because of the federal government鈥檚 crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion. Some were flagged solely because staff worked from university DEI offices.

The University of California Berkeley鈥檚 Talent Search program closed last fall, affecting more than 1,500 students from 14 public schools.

鈥淢y team had already gone into schools, done introductory meetings, created workshops, and we had already started helping seniors with their college applications and everything,鈥� said Keyanna Hatcher, the university鈥檚 TRIO director. 鈥淭he immediate pause on the program was completely detrimental to everything that we had already established with our school sites and partnerships.鈥�

Seniors were in the middle of completing college applications when Talent Search shuttered. Low-income and first-generation students were suddenly without key resources before applications were due Nov. 30 鈥� the deadline for California state universities. 

Middle school students lost access to STEM projects and university visits. Ninth graders no longer have TRIO workshops on how to be competitive for college. Berkeley staffers who were a permanent fixture in local middle and high schools are gone. 

鈥淲e were actually helping to supplement school staff, because some of our schools have counselors with caseloads of 700 students,鈥� Hatcher said. 鈥淲e were taking some of that load off and were helping meet with students so that they actually get more individual attention.鈥�

The University of New Hampshire closed its Talent Search program in October after losing grant money, affecting more than 1,200 students from sixth to 12th grades in 29 schools. Close to a dozen staffers who worked with students in their schools were fired.

鈥淚t’s going to affect how many students are applying to colleges here in New Hampshire,鈥� said Jes Crowell, the university鈥檚 TRIO director. 鈥淭hey aren’t going to have the assistance from (the staff) who normally sit down with them and help them apply, help them with financial aid and scholarships. That’s just not going to be done.鈥�

Nearly 68% of Talent Search students enroll in college immediately after high school, compared with 56% of low-income students not in the program, according to a 2022 report. Upward Bound produces similar positive , with 74% of the 19,549 participants who graduated high school in 2022 enrolling in college. 

The report shows that nearly 43% of Upward Bound students in 2022 received a bachelor鈥檚 degree within six years, compared with 11% of low-income students not in the program.

Junior Angelina Dang said she had never imagined a future that included college until she joined Upward Bound two years ago through South Seattle College in Washington state. As a first-generation student, Dang figured she鈥檇 enter the workforce right after high school, like the rest of her family.

鈥淐oming from a low-income family, if I hear other low-income families are telling me that this is helping them, I’m obviously interested,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I first joined, I was like, 鈥楾his isn’t probably going to help me.鈥� But I’ve had so much support 鈥� I know what I want to do for my future. I know what I need to do for my future.鈥�

Dang said South Seattle College鈥檚 TRIO office has provided food that her family can鈥檛 buy, staff who support her through decisions about her college future and academic services that have improved her skills in the classroom. 

South Seattle College 鈥� which lost funding for its adult learner TRIO services 鈥� is where she takes dual-enrollment courses through Upward Bound. The program also helped her visit potential colleges. She plans to transfer to the University of Washington to pursue studies in wildlife biology.

鈥淭he support of being able to be at South Seattle College and also visit other schools 鈥� it was like, there’s a world outside of high school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don’t want to exaggerate, but I think if I never joined Upward Bound, I don’t know where I would be.鈥�