Tlaib Leads Congressional Mamas’ Caucus in Calling on President Trump to Take Immediate Action to Restore Head Start Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chair of the Congressional Mamas’ Caucus, led 23 of her colleagues in calling on President Trump to take immediate action to restore all Head Start funding nationwide. Head Start programs are still experiencing the impact of the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to cut off federal funding. Some are now at risk of closing their doors, leaving kids without care and working parents without options.

“As members of the Congressional Mamas’ Caucus, we are committed to advocating for mothers and working families. Head Start programs serve more than 800,000 children and are essential to countless communities in every state, supporting early childhood learning, development, and health,” the lawmakers wrote.

“The January 27th memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) freezing all federal grants has caused significant disruptions for Head Start programs across the country and serious hardships for the families we all serve. While that memo was rescinded and the funding freeze has been temporarily blocked by the courts as litigation continues, Head Start leaders continue to report problems accessing the federal payment portal they rely on to operate.”

“At least 57 Head Start programs serving more than 21,000 children say they cannot access federal funding. This instability is forcing Head Start programs to consider shutting down entirely. We have learned that at least two Head Start programs — in Wisconsin and New York — have been forced to close their doors temporarily, and more are poised to do so if funding is not quickly restored,” the lawmakers concluded.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), Summer Lee (PA-12), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Grace Meng (NY-06), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Nikema Williams (GA-05).

You can find the full text of the letter here.

The Congressional Mamas’ Caucus is committed to advocating for mothers and working families, especially mothers of color. We know that the costs of raising a child in our country are among the highest in the world, and that our policies too often leave behind working families. Our members are committed to centering mamas in the policies we develop and champion in Congress.

You can learn more about the Congressional Mamas’ Caucus here.

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