CHARLESTON — West Virginia’s U.S. senators praised the release Friday of additional federal education dollars that had been put on hold for nearly a month by the administration of President Donald Trump.

In press releases Friday afternoon, Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice thanked the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Education for releasing the funding that was in the fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution passed back in March.

More than $6 billion in federal education funding was being withheld beginning July 1 while the programs were reviewed to ensure they did not contradict Trump’s spending priorities since taking office in January.

According to the Associated Press, the Office of Management and Budget completed that review.

Friday’s release of $5 billion in education formula funding was for several programs, including teacher training programs, English-language learning, adult learning, student support and academic enrichment, and migrant education.

“The education formula funding included in the FY2025 Continuing Resolution Act supports critical programs that so many rely on,” said Capito, R-W.Va. “That’s why it’s important we continue to protect and support these programs. I made this clear to OMB Director (Russell) Vought and was glad he followed through on my request to release all of the education formula dollars that states across the country are expecting to receive.”

“Promising to protect West Virginians’ best interests is why I was elected, and results like this show what can happen when you work in good faith with others across government and put people over politics,” said Justice, R-W.Va. “The release of these funds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the kids of West Virginia, and I’ll continue to advocate with Senator Capito for the best possible outcomes when problems like this arise.”

Capito and Justice, along with eight other U.S. Senators, wrote a letter on July 16 to Vought seeking release of the funds. Two days later, the OMB and Department of Education released $1.3 billion for summer learning and after-school programs.

“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the senators wrote. “This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families.”

State education officials had been expecting the federal funding on July 1, but the U.S. Department of Education informed states that the OMB was reviewing the programs to search for anything that promoted left-wing ideology. Several states and Washington, D.C., filed suit against the Trump administration last week to force the release of the funding. West Virginia was not a party to that lawsuit.