Tammy Baldwin Questions Secretary McMahon on Unspent Education Funds

Unallocated Education Funds

• 🎯 Senator Baldwin questions Secretary McMahon regarding $8 billion in unallocated funds for students and schools, which Congress appropriated.
• 💡 Baldwin highlights that not spending these funds is an administration decision not to invest in children, with real consequences.
• 🏫 Specifically, $1.3 billion for before and after school programs and over $2 billion for effective teachers remain unallocated.

Mental Health Grants Discontinued

• 🧠 Baldwin expresses concern over the discontinuation of mental health grants that Congress authorized and funded, questioning what changed since McMahon's confirmation hearing.
• 📉 McMahon states the funding is not being eliminated but will allow states to rebid on competitive grants, asserting that state and local officials are best positioned to assess needs.
• ⚠️ Baldwin points out that a discontinued grant for Wisconsin was used to expand access to mental health care, including hiring more counselors and mental health professionals.

Federal vs. State Discretion

• ⚖️ McMahon emphasizes that states and local areas are the best place to concentrate efforts for specific programs, suggesting they have the best opportunity to assess local needs.
• 🗣️ Baldwin recalls McMahon's confirmation hearing statement that appropriated funds should be disseminated, contrasting it with the current situation.
• ❓ Baldwin questions whether discontinuing programs like training new school psychologists is also considered not in the best interest of the federal government.