Some Head Start programs still having trouble accessing federal money after Trump funding freeze
Source: CBS NEWS
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As President Trump continues making cuts to federal programs and funding, Democratic leaders in Illinois are warning about how this is affecting families involved with the Head Start early childhood education program.
Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth were at Two Rivers Head Start in Elgin on Saturday, and said ever since Trump ordered a federal funding freeze last week, they've had difficulty accessing federal money, even though courts have blocked the president's move.
Duckworth said, even though the White House has said the memo ordering a freeze on funding for federal assistance has been rescinded, and courts have ordered the Trump administration to stop the freeze, some organizations that rely on federal grants already have been hurt by the confusion that the unexpected order created.
"If you think Trump's illegal funding freeze is actually paused, and the financial pain that many are feeling is paused along with it, well you would be wrong. The financial setbacks triggered by Trump's illegal freeze are cruelly forcing providers to weigh impossible decisions, like how they'll pay to both keep their lights on and feed the children who depend on them," she said.
Kelly Neidel, executive director of Two Rivers Head Start, said in her 35 years with the organization, they've always had bipartisan support in Congress to fund Head Start programs.
As a nonprofit, they rely heavily on federal funding to run day-to-day operations.
"We can't set a bunch of money aside. I wish we could, I wish we had a secret stash, but we don't. So when it goes day-to-day, and literally I was waking up at 2 o'clock in the morning checking our bank account. Did we have money? Are we going to have to let the staff go tomorrow? You know, it's a constant," she said.
Many other Head Start programs across the country also have had trouble accessing federal funds.
Unlike regular pre-schools, Head Start often helps students and their families with things like food, clothes, and housing.
"Despite what Donald Trump and Elon Musk think, these aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. These are people. They're real people. They're working parents. They're children whose lives Donald Trump is playing games with," Pritzker said.
According to the Illinois Head Start Association, they've served more than 24,000 families.
By: TODD FEURER
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