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Parents and Lawmakers Press Secretary McMahon on Grant Cancellations, Special‑Education and Program Consolidations
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Summary
Members raised multiple instances of canceled or paused grants — including a program that served disabled students and reductions at the Institute of Education Sciences and TRIO — and pressed the secretary for a plan to protect students who rely on those services.
Several members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce told Secretary McMahon they had received reports of abrupt grant cancellations that had immediate effects on students, especially those with disabilities and low‑income students who use federal programs such as TRIO and GEAR UP.
Representative Marilyn Macbeth (committee member) described the Department's February decision to cancel the Charting My Path program, which she said "served over 1,600 disabled students and their families across 62 schools in 11 states." She asked McMahon point‑blank: "Do you stand by your decision to cancel this program in the middle of the school year without any warning to the hundreds of students, teachers, and families that were participating?" McMahon declined to give a simple yes or no and said she would need to review the specific grants cited.
Several Democrats said the department had halted or renegotiated funding and contract arrangements within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and reduced staff in that office, a point McMahon confirmed while saying contracted NAEP work and other services were maintained. Committee members expressed concern that cuts to research and program offices would degrade data collection and oversight used by Congress and states to evaluate education programs.
Members also raised TRIO and GEAR UP funding, arguing those programs support college‑access for low‑income and first‑generation students. McMahon said existing awards would continue for the current award period but the FY2026 request did not include the same continuations and had proposed reprioritization; she invited members to submit follow‑up questions about program accountability and evaluation.
Lawmakers on both sides called attention to special‑education funding and services. Several members asked how the department would meet IDEA obligations if staffing and program lines were reduced; McMahon said the department intended to meet statutory requirements and that formula funding for IDEA remained in place, but she acknowledged changes in staff levels and indicated the administration would provide additional details to the committee.
Committee members asked for written explanations of any grant cancellations, documentation of notices given to recipients, and a timeline for reinstatement or transition plans where services had been disrupted. McMahon agreed to provide follow‑up materials and to work with members individually on specific grants and programs.
