What Federal Changes Mean For Your Classroom

At Educators for Excellence (E4E), we know that uncertainty and anxiety are running high in schools right now. That’s why we created this page, so you have easy access to the latest information and resources that will help you separate fact from fiction, understand what the headlines mean for your school, and take action to keep yourself and your students safe, supported, and ready to learn.

E4E stands in solidarity with the nation’s teachers and students and is committed to keeping you up-to-date and ready to take action in response to federal policymaking over the next four years. If you have any questions about recent federal actions or want to get involved in our work, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Overview of Recent Federal Actions

Last updated: June 26, 2025

The GOP’s Reconciliation Bill

Congressional Republicans are in the process of passing a bill that will devastate America’s public school students, and they are doing so in a way that ensures as little public awareness and input as possible. The bill will, among other things:

• Put millions of children’s SNAP benefits and access to free school meals at risk
• Cut Medicaid funding for millions of students, depriving them not just of health care but also school-based health services
• Create a federal voucher program that would use billions of taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition and tax breaks for already wealthy families

Educators for Excellence urges Congress to vote no on this bill.

Federal Funding

The federal government plays a critical role in education funding, and is repeatedly showing that it does not plan to execute it. 

• On March 28, Secretary McMahon abruptly revoked extensions previously granted to states to spend COVID-19 federal relief money on planned projects, making the $2.5 billion districts had already committed to projects unspendable. Sixteen states successfully sued: For now, the administration must allow the extensions in those states, but can revoke the extensions again with 14 days notice. 
• On April 30, the administration terminated a billion dollars of already approved grant funding for hiring school-based mental health staff.
• On May 30, President Trump released his proposal for federal funding in the coming fiscal year, building on the “skinny budget” he released in early May. In it, he proposes slashing $12 billion in education funding, or 15% of the current budget. It also eliminates some federal funding streams, including Title III, which supports language instruction for ELLs and immigrant students. The budget will go through additional changes in Congress before it is approved.

Race-based Programming

The Trump administration issued guidance threatening to cut federal funding for schools that use “race as a factor in … hiring, training, and other … programming.” The letter doesn’t change the law and is meant to intimidate districts into proactively complying. Multiple federal rulings in response to lawsuits have temporarily barred the Trump Administration from revoking funds in this way.

Proposed Dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education (USED)

On March 20, President Trump issued a long-expected Executive Order (EO) calling for the dissolution of USED and directing Secretary McMahon to reduce operations to the maximum extent possible. 63% of Americans and 70% of teachers oppose this. Closing USED would require Congressional action. Senator Bill Cassidy expressed his intention to introduce a bill, but it is unlikely to pass due to Republicans’ slim majority. The Administration has already begun to gut USED, firing nearly half its staff—1,300 people—and crippling its operations. Twenty-one state attorney generals sued, and in mid-May, a federal judge ordered terminated workers be rehired. Without USED, funding gaps wouldn’t be filled, crucial research wouldn’t get done, and states wouldn’t be held accountable for providing quality education.

Immigration and Schools

The Trump Administration has revoked a policy that barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from schools, but ICE still needs a warrant to access schools. In June, the Trump Administration ramped up ICE immigration raids in Southern California, which both anecdotal reports from teachers and quantitative research indicate contribute to heightened student absenteeism for fear of deportation. Every child deserves a safe and welcoming learning environment, and revoking the ban has sowed confusion and fear.

Teaching about Race and Identity

President Trump called on federal agencies to create a plan to withhold funds from schools that teach the U.S. is “fundamentally racist” or about concepts like “gender ideology.” This is an attempt to intimidate and divert schools from implementing culturally relevant curricula and from teaching accurate history. It is illegal for the federal government to try to control curriculum decisions. Multiple federal rulings in response to lawsuits have temporarily barred the Trump Administration from revoking funds in this way. 

LGBTQ+ Students 

The Trump Administration instructed schools to stop enforcing federal rules that prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ+ students. President Trump also signed Executive Orders calling for the elimination of federal funds for schools that allow transgender students to use school facilities, play on sports teams, or identify using pronouns or names aligned with their identity. It also launched a new “Title IX Special Investigations Team” that will investigate gender ideology in schools and especially the participation of transgender athletes on female sports teams. LGBTQ+ students may be protected under state law depending on where you live, and regardless you are allowed to continue to support and defend your LGBTQ+ students.

Research and Innovation

The Trump Administration has crippled education research and innovation, terminating billions of dollars worth of research grants and reducing the staff of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from around 100 to just three. Lawsuits challenging these cuts have been filed and in some cases have been ordered reinstated, but the Supreme Court has overturned one of these rulings. President Trump also proposed cutting the Institute of Education Science’s (IES) funding by 67% in his FY26 budget proposal. We cannot improve without evidence and data; the Administration’s attack on research will severely impact our ability to measure what works.

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Take Action

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Press Releases & Statements

• Educators for Excellence Urges Congress to Vote No on the Budget Reconciliation Bill
• Statement on $1 Billion in Cuts to Mental Health Grants for Schools
• E4E Responds to ESSER Funding Clawback by Trump Administration
• Statement On President Trump’s Executive Order Calling for the Closure of the US Department of Education
• E4E’s statement on the proposed dissolution of USED
• A Letter to Congress Opposing Linda McMahon’s Confirmation
• A Note from E4E’s National Teacher Leader Council on the Election

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Coalition Letters