WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues in calling on the Department of Education (DOE) to ensure the timely delivery of federal funds for TRIO, a long-standing set of federal programs that help approximately 840,000 middle school, high school, and post secondary students prepare for, enter, and graduate from college—specifically, low-income and first-generation students. In a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, the Senators raise concerns over the recent delays faced by TRIO recipients and urge for the timely awarding of grants to qualifying students.

“As strong supporters of the Federal TRIO Programs, we write to urge the Department of Education to ensure the timely execution of the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 TRIO grant competitions for Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers. Specifically, we ask that the Department of Education issue the Notice Inviting Applications for new Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers by March 1, 2026, so that award notices can be released no later than June 30, 2026, and programs can begin promptly on September 1, 2026,” the Senators began.

“Unfortunately, in recent years, the Department of Education has failed to award grants to TRIO recipients in sufficient time,” the Senators continued. “These delays can result in increased strain on program administrators and, more importantly, students. By delaying the execution of these programs, programs may be forced to make difficult decisions, including laying off staff or scaling back services. This has a direct impact on the timeliness and quality of TRIO services, and it may result in students losing access to the help they need to succeed in college.”

“We are deeply concerned that any delays in the Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers competition process will result in irreversible damage to our students, families, and communities, as many rely on the vital programs and services provided by TRIO programs. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to ensure that the upcoming Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers competition is conducted in a timely manner,” the Senators concluded.

In addition to King, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), James Lankford (R-OK), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jim Risch (R-ID), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Senator King has consistently worked to ensure that Maine’s colleges and universities have the resources they need to continue to educate Maine’s future leaders. Last year, he urged Secretary McMahon to reverse the Department of Education’s decision to terminate funding for two federally funded TRIO Upward Bound programs in Maine. In 2020, he celebrated more than $5 million in grants to aid Maine’s colleges and universities efforts to support low-income and first-generation college students through the TRIO program. In addition to securing funding for Maine schools, Senator King has spoken out against cuts to the Department of Education as the Trump Administration attempts to erode and dismantle the agency.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

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Dear Secretary McMahon:

As strong supporters of the Federal TRIO Programs, we write to urge the Department of Education to ensure the timely execution of the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 TRIO grant competitions for Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers. Specifically, we ask that the Department of Education issue the Notice Inviting Applications for new Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers by March 1, 2026, so that award notices can be released no later than June 30, 2026, and programs can begin promptly on September 1, 2026.

Federal TRIO programs support postsecondary access, retention, and completion for low- income, first-generation students from all backgrounds. These programs help approximately 840,000 students prepare for, enter, and graduate from college each year. Congress annually appropriates funding for TRIO on a bipartisan basis, and the FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which President Trump signed into law, appropriated $1.191 billion for TRIO programs.

As you know, the Federal TRIO programs operate on a competitive five-year grant cycle, and for FY26, the Department of Education is expected to issue grant competitions for Talent Search and Education Opportunity Centers. The Talent Search program focuses on low-cost, early interventions for students in grades 6-12, and has had successful results. For instance, the Department’s own data shows that 22% more Talent Search students enroll in college than students in the bottom income quartile nationally. Educational Opportunity Centers, which prepare adult learners for entry into the workforce, are also similarly effective. For example, data from the Department of Education shows that 73% of eligible Educational Opportunity Center participants applied for college admission.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the Department of Education has failed to award grants to TRIO recipients in sufficient time, despite the fact that the Higher Education Act requires the Secretary to inform TRIO applicants about the status of their application for continued funding “at least 8 months prior to the expiration of the grant or contract.” For example, last year, the Department of Education delayed releasing more than $600 million in federal funding for over 2,000 TRIO programs, which impacted over 650,000 low-income, first-generation students.

These delays can result in increased strain on program administrators and, more importantly, students. By delaying the execution of these programs, programs may be forced to make difficult decisions, including laying off staff or scaling back services. This has a direct impact on the timeliness and quality of TRIO services, and it may result in students losing access to the help they need to succeed in college.

As such, the FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act included language to direct the Department of Education to “ensure that the notices inviting applications for new awards for the Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers grant competitions are published no later than December 1, 2025” and “to take steps necessary to issue grant award notifications for all TRIO programs (both new and non-competing continuation award notices) no later than June 30, 2026.”

While December 1 has already passed, the intent of that language is clear—to ensure that the FY26 TRIO competitions and grant award notifications are released in a timely manner. As such, we ask that the Department of Education launch the grant competition for Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers by March 1, 2026, so that award notices can be released no later than June 30, 2026, and programs can begin promptly on September 1, 2026.

We are deeply concerned that any delays in the Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers competition process will result in irreversible damage to our students, families, and communities, as many rely on the vital programs and services provided by TRIO programs. Therefore, we respectfully urge you to ensure that the upcoming Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers competition is conducted in a timely manner.

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