Senators Collins, Warnock Lead Bipartisan Group Urging Education Department to Revise Applications for TRIO Programs, Promptly Release Funds

New applications dramatically shift the mission of longstanding successful programs for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), co-chairs of the Senate TRIO caucus, led a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to rescind the recently published applications for the Fiscal Year 2026 TRIO Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) grant competitions, and to revise and reissue those applications. The grant structure outlined in the new applications reflects a dramatic shift in the programs' missions and redirects funds from the core purpose of TRIO's Talent Search and EOC programs. The Senators also request that funds are released in a timely manner to prevent a lapse in program funding.

TRIO programs are federal outreach and student services programs created to help low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and people with disabilities succeed throughout their academic careers, from middle school through postbaccalaureate programs. The new applications for TRIO's Talent Search and EOC programs will disadvantage current grantees - like the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Presque Isle - by reducing the number of awards the Department of Education plans to fund and restructuring the grant competitions in ways that could shift funding away from longstanding, high-performing programs.

"We respectfully request that the Administration rescind the applications and work with Congress to revise and reissue the applications to protect the integrity of the Federal TRIO Programs," the Senators wrote. "In taking the time to rectify this matter, we also request that the Administration ensure that there is no lapse in funding for any Talent Search or EOC projects, which are scheduled to expire on August 31, 2026."

"The notices inviting applications make it clear that, in order to successfully secure a grant in the pending competitions, applicants must shift their programmatic focus to center around registered apprenticeships, work-based learning, and career and technical education programs," they continued. "We are also concerned that the Talent Search and EOC applications massively restructure the programs in ways that greatly disadvantage current grantees."

"Further, the applications' proposal to reduce the per-student cost to just $500 in Talent Search and $280 in EOC. While these have always been low-cost student programs, this configuration does not account for the rigorous, labor-intensive process of providing direct service to students or the required process of tracking their long-term success following their participation in the program […] For these reasons, we respectfully request that the Administration withdraw the applications for the Talent Search and EOC grant competitions. We welcome the opportunity to work with you to address these challenges in order to reissue the applications. We also wish to ensure there is no lapse in funding for current Talent Search and EOC grantees," the Senators concluded.

In addition to Senators Collins and Warnock, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL), James Lankford (R-OK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

Click here to read the complete text of the letter.

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