The Trump administration has abruptly ended programs that were helping more than 5,000 New Hampshire students pursue college and careers. Leaders from both political parties are calling on the administration to restore funding immediately.
The more than $30 million in federal funding, which was approved by Congress but halted by the administration, is targeted at students who are low-income or have disabilities or are the first in their family to go to college.
The programs that lost funding, TRIO and Gear Up, primarily work with students in grades 6-12. TRIO still retains partial funding for certain students in high school and college.
Julie Langlois, a Manchester West High School junior, is not among them. She has been with TRIO since freshman year. Her advisor arranged tutoring, helped her pick the right classes, and helped she and others with their college application fees, which can be as high as $90.
“It feels like they're trying to take away my possibilities, like they're trying to take away my future in a way,” Langlois said.
The cancellation of Gear Up grants by the US Department of Education impacts about 4,000 students in 28 schools, where at least half the students qualify for free and reduced lunch.
The program provides in-school academic support and scholarships to students who attend an in-state college or university. The funding for the program, which was approved by the Biden administration, was supposed to run several more years.
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander has joined the rest of the state’s federal delegation in calling on the Trump administration to reverse the cuts. The administration has until the end of September to change its mind,
“What I've seen is how these programs have changed people's lives, truly changed them for the better,” Goodlander said in an interview. “And that is what government can do at its best.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s spokesperson said she has asked Trump administration officials to reinstate the funding.
