Trump to America’s Kids: Go Read a Tweet—Your After‑School Program Is Cancelled
Remember when candidate Trump promised to make education “so good, you’ll get tired of how good it is”? Turns out the only thing exhausted right now is the $6 billion in federal grants his administration just iced—money that kept 1.4 million low‑income kids safe, fed, and (small detail) learning after the bell rings. AP News
The Grinch Who Stole Summer Camp
Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and public‑school programs from Rhode Island to rural Georgia had everything lined up: flash‑cards, basketballs, maybe even a microscope or two. Then poof!—the White House hit “freeze,” because these programs allegedly didn’t “align with the president’s priorities.” (Translation: they sometimes welcome immigrant kids or mention LGBTQ people without spontaneous combustion.)
Priorities, Schmiorities
Here’s a quick refresher on those “presidential priorities”:
- Tax cuts for billionaires’ yachts.
- A Space Force patch redesign—now with sequins!
- Defunding anything that helps children do homework somewhere other than the McDonald’s parking lot.
Collateral Damage? Mostly Red Districts—Oops
Fun twist: 91 of the 100 school districts that stand to lose the most cash are represented by Republicans. So while MAGA parents cheer rally slogans, their kids’ after‑school math club is shopping for cardboard box real estate.
Even Georgia’s GOP state schools chief is begging Team Trump to release the money, politely reminding them that “fiscal responsibility” doesn’t mean holding a congressional‑approved check hostage like a spray‑tanned Dr. Evil.
“Left‑Wing Causes” Like… Multiplication?
The Office of Management and Budget’s big gripe: some programs dare to tutor undocumented kids or make queer teens feel welcome. Apparently 8‑year‑old Aiden learning fractions alongside his immigrant classmate is a gateway drug to Marxism.
Kids Pay, Trump Plays
If the freeze stretches another few weeks, 926 Boys & Girls Clubs could shutter their after‑school doors. Picture thousands of working parents scrambling for $200‑a‑week childcare while Trump brags on Truth Social about saving America from “woke recess.”
Bottom Line
A president who sells $249 bottles of “Eau de Fascism” cologne couldn’t smell the difference between fiscal prudence and spiteful cruelty if it were pumped through Mar‑a‑Lago’s A/C vents. But the lawsuit filed by 20+ states might pry those funds loose.
Until then, if you see a kid wandering around looking for somewhere safe to finish homework, don’t worry—that’s just Trump’s idea of making education great again.
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