After Newsom's address: Trump may strip California schools of all grants, escalating battle over state policies

The Trump administration is thinking about taking away all education grants from California schools. This idea came after tensions grew over ICE protests and deportation policies that California has been opposing, according to the reports.

According to the report by Politico, a senior Trump official said that they may stop “formula funds”, these are funds given using a fixed rule decided by Congress. Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke at a Bloomberg News event. She said it's fair to warn California that they could lose money if they keep breaking rules, as reported.

McMahon also said this move is a response to California resisting Trump’s ban on trans athletes in some sports. She claimed California showed “flagrant violations of Title IX.” Title IX is a law that protects people from sex-based discrimination in education.

McMahon said they’re not targeting states randomly, "When we are seeing violations, we want to make sure that we are addressing them." A White House spokesperson, Kush Desai, gave a strong statement. He said, “No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country. California has lunatic anti-energy, soft-on-crime, pro-child mutilation, and pro-sanctuary policies”, as mentioned in the reports by The Mirror.

Schools may lose big money

Desai added that the Trump team wants to stop this and bring back the “California Dream”, but also said, “No final decisions have been made yet.” California schools get about $8 billion every year from the U.S. Department of Education. This helps low-income students and students with disabilities, as per reports.

University of California and California State University, two of America’s biggest public college systems, also get billions in federal funds. Both university systems are under huge financial pressure and had to cut their budgets by 3% this year, as per the report by Politico.

But California’s State Superintendent, Tony Thurmond, says Trump can’t pull funds without Congress approval. Thurmond added he’s ready to reach out to Congress if needed and said, “I’ve learned to expect anything but we have to stay vigilant”, as per The Mirror report.

FAQs

Q1. Can Trump stop school money to California?
Not without Congress; state leaders say he needs approval.

Q2. Why is Trump angry at California schools?
Because California is going against his deportation and trans sports rules.