Overview:
The Trump administration has ended $1 billion in Biden-era school mental health grants, citing concerns over race-based initiatives and shifting education priorities.
The Trump administration has decided not to renew $1 billion in federal grants created under former President Joe Biden to expand school mental health services.
According to the AP, affected grant recipients received notice this week that the funding will not continue after this year. A notice reviewed by AP said that the Education Department reviewed the programs, finding they violated the purpose of civil rights law and ran afoul of department priorities favoring merit and fairness.
The move is part of a broader effort by the administration to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in education, citing “reverse racism” despite multiple courts that have blocked attempts to enforce the administration’s mandates on school compliance. Last week, on Thursday, two federal judges from New Hampshire and Maryland blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding from public schools implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
“These grants were meant to increase access to mental health professionals in schools and on campuses,” said Madison Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, in a statement. “But under the Biden administration, they were misused to support race-based initiatives like recruitment quotas, which are unrelated to mental health and potentially harmful to students.”
In contrast, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten strongly criticized the move, calling it a “direct attack” on children’s well-being. “Congress secured these bipartisan funds to help kids navigate their emotions and environment,” Weingarten said. “With the stroke of a pen, all that progress has been erased—even as leaders claim mental health is key to addressing gun violence.”
The grants were part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), passed after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The law provided what officials called “historic funding” to support school-based mental health services over five years.
The Biden administration previously made youth mental health a top priority, especially after the pandemic led to widespread social isolation and disrupted learning. As part of that effort, the administration aimed to double the number of mental health professionals—such as counselors, social workers, and psychologists—working in schools.
