Connecticut school officials are warning that after-school programs are at risk after the Trump administration withheld millions of dollars in funding – at least for now.

The U.S. Department of Education said the move is “ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President's priorities.”

Hundreds of thousands of children in Connecticut rely on after-school programs, but some might run out of money soon. The state was supposed to get $50 million from Washington this week, but the Trump administration just paused the funding pending a review.

The department did not provide a timeline and warned that “decisions have not yet been made” on grants for the upcoming school year.

“If your child is a multilingual learner and getting extra English instruction in school, those programs are all at risk,” said state Rep. Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), co-chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee. “If your child receives some special education services and needs additional time with a speech and language pathologist, all those federal dollars are now withheld.”

Nationwide, the administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more as part of a review to ensure grants align with President Donald Trump’s priorities.

“We’ve allocated $30 million specifically for special education grant to every district,” Leeper said. “There's just no capacity for us to backfill this federal hole with just state dollars.”

Even classes or camps underway this summer could be in jeopardy.

For instance, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America depend on some of the withheld money to run camps and other summer programming for low-income students. If funding isn’t restored soon, the programming may end mid-season, said Boys and Girls Club President Jim Clark.

After-school programming in the fall could also take a hit.

“If these funds are blocked, the fallout will be swift and devastating,” Clark said. As many as 926 Boys & Girls Clubs could close, affecting more than 220,000 kids, the group said.

The surprise announcement came in a memo from the U.S Department of Education this week.

“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” said the memo, which was obtained by the Associated Press.

The memo provided no specifics on what the review entails, but an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told POLITICO: “Initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.”

The six grant programs under review include one known as 21st Century Community Learning Centers. It’s the primary federal funding source for after-school and summer learning programs and supports more than 10,000 local programs nationwide, according to the Afterschool Alliance.

Every state runs its own competition to distribute the grants, which totaled $1.3 billion this fiscal year.

Also under review are $2 billion in grants for teachers’ professional development and efforts to reduce class sizes; $1 billion for academic enrichment grants, often used for science and math education and accelerated learning; $890 million for students who are learning English; $376 million to educate the children of migrant workers; and $715 million to teach adults how to read.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Connecticut is exploring its options.

“These cuts are deeply damaging to Connecticut kids and we are reviewing all legal options to protect Connecticut’s funding,” he said in a statement.

The state’s largest teachers’ union is weighing its options too.

“CEA is working closely with state officials to address this most recent crisis – the impoundment of nearly 12% of the funding our K-12 schools rely on,” said Connecticut Education Association president Kate Dias. “We are committed to ensuring Connecticut’s education system does not become another casualty of an administration for whom education is a top target instead of a top priority. “

Connecticut is already suing the Department of Education over withholding mental health funds. In both cases, Congress already approved the money.

But even if the state ultimately succeeds, Leeper said the damage is already done.

“People can't just wait with no paycheck. They have to go find another job,” she said. “So then, when schools are going to be starting in August, September-- and they won't have necessarily clarity on the funds they’ll have to hire the people, to deliver these services. Kids pay the price.”

Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” approved by Congress on Friday includes deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food benefits.

State lawmakers set aside money to replace some of funds, but they will likely return for a special session in September to address the shortfall.

Gov. Ned Lamont warned that the state will have to make tough decisions.

“Our administration is dedicated to doing what we can do mitigate some of the impact of what this bill will cause, but with a federal administration insistent on eliminating critical safety nets it is going to be nearly impossible for any state to backfill the billions in federal cuts we are going to face,” Lamont said in a statement on Friday. “In the coming days, our administration will be analyzing this bill to determine how it will affect services in Connecticut, as well as its impact on our state’s budget, and we will be meeting with our colleagues in the General Assembly to discuss next steps.”