You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
More than 10,000 alumni of federally funded TRIO programs have urged the leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees to reject budget proposals to cut the programs that help students get access to and complete college.
“For more than 60 years, TRIO has helped low-income, first-generation students transform into colleges graduates. We are those college graduates,” 10,234 signatories said in a letter to Congress. “With more than six million alumni now serving as leaders in their communities—as educators, lawmakers, business leaders, and scientists —the success of TRIO programs is clear.”
The letter goes on to defend college degrees, saying they “remain a key driver of our economy.”
“Higher degrees of educational attainment translate into higher wages, a broader tax base, and lower rates of unemployment,” it reads.
The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal would cut TRIO programs, saving nearly $1.2 billion. The administration argued that the programs were duplicative; better supported with state, local institutional or private funds; or lack evidence of their effectiveness.
On Tuesday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon testified before the Senate appropriations committee and took questions on the proposed cuts to her department. She said she was concerned about the lack of metrics for evaluating the impact of TRIO programs.
“While I absolutely agree that there is some effectiveness of the programs, in many circumstances, these programs were negotiated at very tough terms, in that the Department of Education has no ability to go in and look at the accountability of TRIO programs,” McMahon said. “It specifically eliminates our ability to do that.”
In the 242-page letter, which includes each signatory’s name by state, the alumni said they contribute “socially and economically to our communities because of the impact that TRIO has had on our lives and families.”
“We implore you to fund the Federal TRIO programs at the highest possible level for FY26,” the signatories wrote.
