By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration’s temporary freeze on federal funds for the Head Start early education program for low-income children was illegal, a non-partisan government watchdog concluded in a report released on Wednesday, as the White House continues to challenge Congress’ authority over spending.
The U.S. General Accounting Office said disbursement of funds for the program, which is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, was significantly reduced beginning on Jan. 20 — the day Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term as president — until April 25.
Subsequently, funds were being delivered consistently, GAO said.
“We conclude that HHS violated the ICA,” the GAO report stated, referring to the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which allows the president to withhold obligated funds under strictly limited circumstances.
An HHS spokesman said in an email: “HHS did not impound Head Start funds and disputes the conclusion of the GAO report.” Andrew Nixon, HHS director of communications, added, “GAO should anticipate a forthcoming response from HHS to incorporate into an updated report.”
GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies and the public with information aimed at improving government operations.
The agency warned that executive branch officials must ensure that they “prudently obligate appropriations” and said HHS had not provided information it requested related to the slow disbursement of money to Head Start centers across the country.
In May, Reuters reported on the impact on some of the 800,000 children and families enrolled in the program, as a result of delayed Head Start grant approvals, as well as April’s closure of HHS regional offices in Chicago, Boston, New York, Seattle and San Francisco.
Funding delays meant that parents with children enrolled in some Head Start programs had to scurry to find private care for children through the age of five as programs were either temporarily suspended or on the verge of closing. Staff workers also were uncertain about their positions being maintained.
The chaos over Head Start money was part of a far larger effort by the Trump administration to severely cut government programs and the size of the federal workforce.
For the first few months of this year the effort was headed by Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, as he steered the newly-formed “Department of Government Efficiency,” known as DOGE.
A funding tracker maintained by Democrats on the House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees found that at one point this year, $943 million in Head Start funds had been frozen.
The administration’s unilateral government funding cuts and firings triggered a slew of legal challenges and administration appeals.
Government-wide, about $425 billion was on hold by the Trump administration as of June 3, according to the committees.
“It does not matter how long these funds were frozen. The chaos and uncertainty of illegally withholding these funds is costly and hurts the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on Head Start,” Representative Rosa DeLauro said in a statement. She is the senior House Appropriations Committee Democrat.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Aurora Ellis)