Reno, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in sending a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding the Department of Health and Human Services immediately release Head Start funding and reverse the mass firing of Head Start staff. Cortez Masto has been a strong supporter of the Head Start program, which provides early childhood learning for thousands of children across Nevada.
“Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year,” the lawmakers began. “It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
“Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services,” they wrote. “Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”
“The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation,” they continued. “[W]e urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”
You can find the full text of the letter here.
Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services.
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