Haley Stevens Presses Secretary Linda McMahon On Trump Administration's Cancellation Of TRIO Grants Program

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During a House Education Committee hearing last week, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) spoke about the TRIO grant program.

Transcript

00:00Miss Stevens. Great. Well, thank you, Mr. Chair. And Madam Secretary, I realize you're in the

00:08cabinet with the president of the president, and you're the first cabinet secretary I've

00:13been able to speak with this term. And if you could please pass along to the president

00:18that 55 tariff announcements in 100 days are killing us in Michigan. I know that the president

00:25came to Michigan to celebrate his first 100 days in office. I know this is outside technically

00:31the purview of your administration. We see hiring on hold. We see suppliers, small businesses.

00:38They are telling me today that operations are going to shut down. And certainly we then get

00:44the question of unemployment and job training and apprenticeship programs. Now, the Department

00:49of Education was passed into law in a close vote in 1979. Four years prior to that, the

00:59House of Representatives signed into law the Investing in Disabilities Education Act, IDEA.

01:07We want to see special education fully funded in the United States of America. And Michigan,

01:15just as of 2023, missed out on 700 million dollars in IDEA funding. I have worked so closely with

01:23my school districts all across my state, frankly, on the missing pieces of their budget from

01:30special education funding gaps. Can you speak to some of the changes that are going on in the

01:36administration or in your very agency right now? And if there is an opportunity for Michigan

01:41to access more special education dollars?

01:48Well, as I testified to earlier, you know, the IDEA funding is going to continue. Level funding

01:58going into the different states. Now, there are six programs that are going to be consolidated

02:06into a single stream funding that I think you could apply for in those states and help get

02:12the governor or the superintendent of education to direct more of those funds.

02:17Yeah. And while I don't agree with the reckless language of shutting down the Department of

02:21Education and the dismantling and the job loss, and I know some of these individuals in Michigan

02:28who have lost their Department of Education jobs, we will gladly take every special education

02:32dollar that you can give us. And then, as you know, TRIO grants are grants that help low-income,

02:41first-generation, college, veteran, and disabled students who we care about so much apply and

02:47successfully complete college. And several schools in Michigan use TRIO grants to support students.

02:54So why did the administration decide to eliminate the TRIO grants program and what's happening to

02:59that money?

03:00Well, TRIO grants for the funding that's in place now are continuing for, you know, for

03:06the balance of this fiscal year. They are not, they're not, they have been zeroed out in the

03:12next budget. What we found with TRIO and looking at, and hey, I think, and I've heard testimony,

03:18I've heard a couple of senators even yesterday say that they know people that benefited from TRIO,

03:23and I'm sure that there are many people who have and, but there are other programs in place that

03:28would also help students who are now being benefited by TRIO. We also found out that the TRIO programs,

03:34you know, they, they've been put through with a lot of heavy lobbying and the Department of Education

03:42really doesn't have the ability to go in and assess total accountability and that's how it's written.

03:47Well, if that's the case too, we can look at expanding Pell, which many of us, you know, support.

03:53We need to see Pell Grant expanded. We, we obviously want to continue to that discussion with you and, and, and,

03:59and, and on the record. But with my remaining time, and as you are a Cabinet Secretary for the second time in a row

04:07in the, in the administration of President Donald J. Trump, please just know we are competing with China.

04:14We are competing on a world stage in a place where I am so privileged to call home is right in the middle of that competition.

04:21We need these engineering jobs. We need these apprenticeship programs.

04:25We, we certainly want to see our government function to the best of its ability and deliver the standards

04:32and, and, and, and, and dare I say the efficiency that our taxpayers pay into.

04:37But when we see tax bills that are cutting investments in manufacturing, new manufacturing, 40 new plants in Michigan,

04:45when we are fighting for all the technology talent we can get, we need you to double down on this.

04:51We need your partnership. We would like to show this to you firsthand.

04:55I do a program called Manufacturing Monday. I visit hundreds of small businesses over and over and over again.

05:01I have real relationships with these people and the students who are in FIRST Robotics.

05:06And yes, Michigan has the largest number of FIRST Robotics teams, which we would also love to showcase to you and your, your, your office.

05:14But ma'am, please tell this president, slow down on what he's doing to autos, our manufacturing sector, and to consumer costs.

05:23Thank you. And I yield back, Mr. Chair.

05:24Thanks gentlelady. I recognize the gentlemen.

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