Today, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it would finally release more than $5.5 billion in Congressionally approved education funding it had illegally frozen, including $32 million owed to the Palm Beach County School District:

“I’m relieved that this critical funding is finally being released, but let’s be clear: it never should have been withheld in the first place. The delay forced school boards to scramble just weeks before the start of the school year, throwing into doubt programs for teacher training, professional development, and academic support.

Whether the holdup was due to White House mismanagement or extreme ideology, it was wrong, and it wasn’t fair to our children. This money wasn’t a gift. It was owed to our schools by law. And yet, students and educators were caught in the middle while the Trump Administration played politics with their futures.

I’ll keep fighting to make sure our public schools get the resources they need—on time and without interference.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Frankel joined a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and OMB Director Russ Vought demanding the immediate release of the funds. Yesterday, she led Florida House Democrats in urging Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier to join the lawsuit brought by 25 states challenging the Department of Education’s illegal freeze.

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