Bipartisan Senate panel rejects Trump plan to cut education programs

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both parties pushed back Tuesday against President Donald Trump's proposal to eliminate funding for federal education programs serving disadvantaged students, during a contentious hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the proposed cuts in Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request, which would trim the Education Department's discretionary funding by $2.3 billion and continue the administration's effort to dismantle the 46-year-old agency. Yet McMahon's position faced fierce resistance from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, particularly over the administration's plan to eliminate Federal TRIO Programs.

The Federal TRIO Programs — currently funded at $1.19 billion annually — help support more than 800,000 students including low-income students, first-generation college students, individuals with disabilities and veterans. Studies show Upward Bound participants earn bachelor degrees at twice the rate of non-TRIO first-generation students, yet the administration claims the programs fail to meet performance measures.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican chairing the full Senate Appropriations Committee, strongly opposed the elimination. "These programs have changed the lives of countless first-generation and low-income students in Maine and across the country," Collins said. Arkansas Republican John Boozman called TRIO a "game-changer" in his state, while Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley, himself the first in his family to attend college, said such programs play an "enormously valuable" role in America.

McMahon acknowledged that "TRIO program has been very beneficial" but suggested the administration wanted to explore "other ways" for students to find success beyond college degrees. The Education Department is spending about $2.1 million investigating and evaluating the programs.

Senate Democrats leveled separate criticism at the administration's broader dismantling efforts. Several interagency agreements are transferring Education Department responsibilities to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Interior, State and Treasury. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, said the transfers would create "another layer" of bureaucracy and force states to deal with multiple federal agencies instead of one.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington pressed McMahon on plans to transfer special education programs out of the Education Department. Murray warned that such moves "will break the law" and harm students with disabilities. McMahon said the administration is "still evaluating" where special education programs would be best located but assured senators that no students would be put at risk.

The administration also faces scrutiny over a proposed 35 percent cut to the Office for Civil Rights, which had more than half its staff fired and seven of 12 regional offices shuttered last year. McMahon promised to hire new lawyers to address a backlog of pending cases.

Congress, not the president, has final authority over federal spending. While the White House budget proposal signals administration priorities, lawmakers regularly reject or modify presidential spending requests.