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Trump administration unlawfully blocked Head Start payments, GAO says

By Samantha-Jo Roth July 23, 2025 | updated 2 weeks ago

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.

The watchdog said it contacted the Department of Health and Human Services, led since mid-February by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to gather facts and obtain the agency’s legal interpretation of the matter, but “HHS has not transmitted the requested information.”

“Given the absence of information from HHS, we have based this letter upon publicly available evidence,” GAO wrote. “Because that evidence indicates that HHS withheld appropriated funds from expenditure, and because the burden to justify such withholdings rests with HHS and the executive branch, we conclude that HHS violated the ICA by withholding funds from expenditure.”

The GAO reported that disbursements for the program, overseen by HHS, dropped sharply starting Jan. 20, the day President Donald Trump began his second term, and continued through April 25.

Head Start provides educational, health, and nutritional services to low-income children in all 50 states through local grant recipients. The 1974 law safeguarded the separation of powers by prohibiting the executive branch from blocking the use of funds approved by Congress.

In a statement provided to the Washington Examiner responding to the GAO’s findings, HHS pushed back on the report’s conclusion.

“HHS did not impound Head Start funds and disputes the conclusion of the GAO report,” said Andrew Nixon, HHS director of communications. “GAO should anticipate a forthcoming response from HHS to incorporate into an updated report.”

NIH STILL BLAMING FOIA DELAYS ON THE PANDEMIC

The GAO delivers insights to Congress, executive agency leaders, and the public to help enhance the effectiveness of government operations.

The agency cautioned that executive branch officials are responsible for “prudently obligat[ing] appropriations” and noted that HHS failed to supply requested details regarding delays in disbursing funds to Head Start centers nationwide.

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