Tammy Baldwin Questions Linda McMahon on Appropriated Funds and Student Programs

Appropriated Funds and Spending Plans

• 📌 Senator Baldwin questioned Secretary McMahon regarding her past statement that appropriated funds "should be disseminated" if approved by Congress.
• ⚠️ Baldwin highlighted that the current budget request significantly cuts funding for public schools, students, and educators, contradicting McMahon's earlier stance.
• 💰 The Director of OM indicated that "empoundment" is still a possibility, threatening to withhold funds, and over $8 billion remains unallocated in the current spending plan.

Impact on Student Programs

• 🏫 Unallocated funds include $1.3 billion for before and after school programs, impacting thousands of students in Wisconsin.
• 🍎 Over $2 billion designated for effective teachers, with an estimated $23 million for evidence-based professional learning in Wisconsin, is also at risk.
• 📉 Baldwin expressed concern that not spending these funds is a decision not to invest in children, with real consequences.

Mental Health Funding Discrepancies

• 🧠 Secretary McMahon previously stated that student mental health was a priority, yet the department decided to discontinue bipartisan-authorized and funded mental health grants.
• 🚫 The justification for discontinuing grants was that they were "not in the best interest of the federal government," a statement that contradicts previous assurances.
• 📊 McMahon explained that the funding is not being eliminated but will allow states to rebid on competitive grants, believing state and local professionals are best positioned to assess needs.

Specific Grant Concerns

• 🎓 A grant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, used to expand access to mental health care and hire more counselors, was discontinued.
• 💡 The decision to cut funding for this grant was framed by McMahon as needing to ensure money is spent in the "best place" across the board.
• 🧑‍🏫 Training for new school psychologists, like a program discontinued at Alverno College in Wisconsin, was also questioned as being potentially against the federal government's best interest.

Broader Program Concerns

• 📉 Senator Collins and Baldwin voiced concerns about the "zeroing out" or elimination of TRIO and GEAR UP programs.