U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) led 19 Senate colleagues in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought demanding answers regarding delays in disbursing Head Start funds, which the Government Accountability Office found violated the Impoundment Control Act. In the letter, the senators highlight how these delays, worsened by the government shutdown, forced programs to reduce services, temporarily close classrooms, lay off staff, and left thousands of children and families without critical early learning and family support. Further, the senators call for immediate clarification on authorization of the delays, legal rationale, and measures to prevent recurrence, as well as assurances that Head Start programs can continue providing inclusive services for children with disabilities.
“When funds are delayed, many Head Start programs must plan for a disruption in services by notifying staff and families of a possible closure. In extreme cases, Head Start programs have had to close due to funding delays and lack of communication by the Administration. These issues were compounded by the government shutdown, which created an additional and immediate crisis for Head Start programs,” the senators wrote.
“We are particularly alarmed that there have been no assurances by HHS that funding delays for this critical program have been resolved, especially as Head Start programs continue to face issues drawing down their funding which puts the livelihoods of their employees and families served at risk,” the senators continued.
“We strongly urge HHS to take immediate steps to ensure Head Start funds were delivered promptly and equitably to serve the children and families who depended on them, especially as the government shutdown and limited funding threatened to disrupt services for the 134 grantees whose programs are November 1st grant recipients. These programs, their staff, and the families they serve cannot afford further uncertainty or delay,” the senators concluded.
In addition to Sens. Luján, Warnock, and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
Earlier this year, Sens. Luján, Warnock, and Merkley joined Senator Kaine in expressing concerns about the threats to Head Start programs across the country as a result of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) memo that imposed a government-wide funding freeze.
Read the full letter here.