Trump administration unlawfully blocked Head Start payments, GAO says

A new report from Congress’s independent watchdog concluded the Trump administration broke federal law by blocking the use of funds allocated to the Head Start program.

The Government Accountability Office determined that the Children and Families Services Programs within the Department of Health and Human Services violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 “by withholding funds from expenditures’ intended for early childhood education. According to GAO, although Congress approved Head Start funding for fiscal 2025, HHS “significantly reduced the rate of disbursement of funds for Head Start grant programs” between Jan. 20 and April 15, compared to the same period in fiscal 2024.