Wisconsin would lose about $314 million in food assistance from the federal government under the massive budget bill passed by the U.S. House early Thursday, according to an an analysis of the proposed cuts by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

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As Republicans in Congress hammer out the details of a massive tax bill that would form a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s agenda, federal funding for food assistance could end up shifted to the states.

The post Wisconsin Republicans in Congress back Trump spending bill as advocates warn of food assistance cuts appeared first on WPR.

Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa may need to reconsider a new school bus Wi-Fi program that relies on federal E-Rate discounts amid recent congressional resolutions and a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

It is a conundrum facing hundreds of school districts across the U.S. that rely on the funding to help their students with internet connectivity issues so they can finish their homework.

Phil Roeder, the school district’s director of communications and public affairs, said E-Rate is crucial to the success of the “DPMS On the Go” service that launched earlier this school year. In January, the district announced Wi-Fi hotspots on 126 school buses and additional mobile units on passenger vans.

E-Rate covered 90 percent of the approximate $600,000 cost for the equipment, installation, wireless data service and “other,” which the Universal Service Administrative Company that manages E-Rate defines as hardware licensing. With an estimated cost of $500,000 in subsequent years for maintenance and new systems, Roeder explained that DPMS may need to reconsider the investment.

“If these funds are removed, the district will need to consider alternatives at a time when there is already a lot of uncertainty related to education funding,” he commented in an email. “At best, we may have to consider maintaining limited connectivity in a more targeted fashion, such as our IT and transportation departments identifying routes that have the greatest need and usage in order to focus resources. At worse, of course, school bus Wi-Fi could come to an end.”

Nationwide, over $63.6 million in E-Rate discounts have funded over 2,900 school bus Wi-Fi applications across 36 states and Puerto Rico. School districts may receive numerous discounts for each school bus they are equipping based on the hardware, installation and data costs. Des Moines is one of a dozen districts in Iowa that received E-Rate discounts for this school year.

Earlier this year, Samantha Sonnichsen, director of transportation for DPMS, noted many students spend hours riding to and from class on school buses. “Now, students will have the opportunity to access Wi-Fi and complete homework for the next day,” she added.

But for how much longer? At least through next school year, as a recent Senate resolution and a companion House resolution only target external hotspot connectivity devices that some students take home with them so they and their families can access Broadband internet. But school bus Wi-Fi is expected to be targeted during the next congressional session.

The primary goal of the Des Moines program is expanding internet access for students without reliable home connectivity, either because they live in underserved rural areas or their families can’t afford it. The benefits of Wi-Fi extend beyond academics. While not eligible for E-Rate funding, Des Moines is also using Wi-Fi for like real-time GPS, live camera access for emergency monitoring and driver tools to reroute buses quickly during traffic delays or severe weather. These features create a more secure and connected commute for both students and drivers, the district said in a statement.

“We live in a time where Wi-Fi is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” Matt Smith, associate superintendent of school support services for DMPS, said in January. “By equipping our buses, we’re ensuring that students, especially those without home internet, can keep up with their studies.”

The program was developed with support from the district’s IT team and Kajeet, a leading provider of filtered educational Wi-Fi. Students are limited to safe, education-only browsing and access is tied to their student login credentials, syncing activity with the school network to prevent misuse.

However, a looming legal challenge could upend the program’s future faster than the legislative ones. A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court questions the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund (USF) that finances the E-Rate program. Critics, including several federal lawmakers, argue the FCC has overstepped its original charter by using the USF to subsidize off-campus internet infrastructure like school bus Wi-Fi.

As noted in a recent STN podcast episode featuring AASA’s Noelle Ellerson Ng, this case could have ripple effects nationwide, especially for districts like Des Moines that are already relying on E-Rate to support long-term implementation.

“This is about more than hardware on buses,” Ellerson Ng said during the podcast. “It’s about whether digital equity continues to be prioritized at the federal level—because without E-Rate, many of these programs become unsustainable.”

Related: Benefits of School Bus Wi-Fi Discussed at STN EXPO
Related: FCC Approves Funding of School Wi-Fi in E-Rate Program
Related: Directors Discuss Navigating Wi-Fi Purchases, E-Rate Funding at STN EXPO Indy

The post Iowa’s Largest School District Mulls Future of School Bus Wi-Fi Program appeared first on School Transportation News.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story inaccurately included school bus Wi-Fi as being stripped from E-Rate. 

Sen. Ted Cruz and fellow Republicans in Congress view Wi-Fi hotspots as an overstep of the federal E-Rate program, which was originally mandated to serve the internet needs of students at school campuses and libraries. 

The senator from Texas notched an initial victory in his attempt to prohibit the funding of individual hotspot devices that school districts send home with students who don’t have affordable or any high-speed broadband access Thursday.  Senate Joint Resolution 7 passed by a vote of 50-38 with 12 senators not casting votes. It does not include a provision prohibiting school bus Wi-Fi.

Using the Congressional Review Act, Cruz and 15 other Republican senators—including co-sponsor Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota—await the fate of a companion bill in the House, H.J. Resolution 33, to void the Federal Communication Commissions’ “Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program” published in the Federal Register last August.

If the House version proceeds, both chambers would need to reconcile any differences in committee before approving a final version for President Donald Trump’s signature.

A spokesperson for internet connectivity company Kajeet noted that the resolutions don’t impact school districts that have already completed required paperwork to obtain E-Rate discounts for school bus Wi-Fi equipment scheduled to be installed this summer for next school year. But Congress could revisit school bus Wi-Fi at a later date.

In 2023, then FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel’s advanced her “Learning Without Limits” initiative that included an expansion of E-Rate to provide 20- to 90-percent discounts for school bus Wi-Fi equipment purchases and installations, depending on if the location is urban or rural and the economic needs of the community. The Democrat-majority FCC board approved a declaratory ruling that October, and school bus Wi-Fi was included under E-Rate for the current school year.

But congressional Republicans led by Sen. Cruz say E-Rate funding is tantamount to “subsidizing TikTok on school buses.” He also claims USF spending is out of control and was instrumental in filing a lawsuit against FCC alleging that school bus Wi-Fi promotes student online bullying, a case that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court this spring.

However, FCC mandates content filtering and adherence to the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

Kajeet issued a statement Thursday that the Senate approval of the CRA represents “a setback to efforts aimed at funding off-campus student Wi-Fi hotspots through E-Rate.” The wireless connectivity provider also urged the House to “carefully consider the compelling data demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of managed hotspots.”

Kajeet said its cloud-based Sentinel content filtering, management and analytics platform blocked billions of student attempts last year to access Tik Tok and other non-educational sites. The company added that thousands of schools and libraries have already applied for E-Rate funding next year, and a reversal of the off-campus Wi-Fi could impact more than 6 million people nationwide.

“We fully recognize the significant impact this E-Rate reversal for hotspots will have on districts’ carefully laid plans to provide essential off-campus connectivity,” said Kajeet CEO Ben Weintraub. “By honoring E-Rate pricing, we aim to provide immediate stability and empower districts to continue their indispensable programs without disruption, ensuring that no student is left behind.”

David Schuler, executive director of AASA: The School Superintendents Association, said during a Thursday press conference held outside Capitol Hill rolling back the FCC policy will have a “devastating impact” on the 15 million students and families nationwide who rely on E-Rate for internet access outside the school building. He added nearly 20,000 schools and libraries have already applied for E-Rate funding for hundreds of thousand of hotspots.

“If this resolution passes, those applications, those children will be left offline and left behind,” he said. “Our nation continues to grapple with the digital divide that disproportionately affects low income rural and historically underserved students. Now is not the time to roll back access and connectivity.”

Related: (STN Podcast E246) Internet is Foundational: Why Universal Services Fund Matters to School Buses
Related: Benefits of School Bus Wi-Fi Discussed at STN EXPO
Related: Directors Discuss Navigating Wi-Fi Purchases, E-Rate Funding at STN EXPO Indy
Related: FCC Releases Eligible Services List for E-Rate School Bus Wi-Fi Funding

The post Update: Senate Approves Stripping Individual Wi-Fi Hotspots from E-Rate Program appeared first on School Transportation News.

The Trump administration is proposing cuts to Medicaid in its 2026 budget, which would reduce funding for Wisconsin’s federally qualified health centers.

The post How Wisconsin health care centers would be affected by potential cuts to Medicaid appeared first on WPR.

The head of Wisconsin's Medicaid program says potential cuts to federal Medicaid funding would lead to higher costs and more barriers to coverage for the state's residents.

The post DHS: Federal cuts to Medicaid could cost Wisconsin billions in health care spending appeared first on WPR.

“The sooner this can conclude, the sooner that the entire strategy plays out and we end up with whatever the result will be, the better,” Johnson told WPR's "Wisconsin Today."

The post Sen. Ron Johnson concerned about Trump tariffs but supportive of more targeted efforts toward China appeared first on WPR.

New Poll: American Voters Support Federal Investments in Electric Vehicles Broad, Bipartisan Support for EV Investments and Incentives that Lower Costs, Expand Access, and Help the U.S. Beat China in the Race for Auto Manufacturing WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bipartisan national poll conducted by Meeting Street Insights and Hart Research finds broad public support …

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U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said an attempt by President Donald Trump to shut down the Department of Education will not cut off funds “for those who depend on them,” namely children protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and other “essential programs.”

She issued the statement Thursday following Trump’s signing of the executive order to make make good on his campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education, which Congress created in 1979. Trump’s order would need congressional approval to move forward.

It directs McMahon and her staff “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits on which Americans rely.”

“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them— we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs,” McMahon said in a statement Thursday. “We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”

The Education Department oversees programs and funding enacted by Congress. If the House and Senate eventually approved its closing, these programs would need to be moved to another cabinet-level department. McMahon suggested during her Senate confirmation hearing that IDEA could reside in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Prior to the Education Department’s creation by Congress in 1979, IDEA and other education law resided in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Other programs that would require continued oversight are Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title IX of the 1972 education amendments, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Trump’s executive order also prohibits Education Department programs or activities that receive federal education funds from advancing DEI or gender ideology.

“I can’t react to a non-concrete plan, so first I want to wait and see how transparent is Secretary McMahon going to be about the process that she’s going to use,” commented Noelle Edgerson Ng, associate executive director of policy and advocacy for AASA: The Superintendents Association. “As she’s cutting and gutting, is she using a mallet or a scalpel? What data is she using to inform what changes she makes? The approach they take informs the pushback or the response. And we don’t know that yet, so we’re going to take a breath.”

The National Association for Pupil Transportation issued a statement Friday afternoon.

“During this transition to a reduced department, we are eager to learn how IDEA funding and programs will be administered,” NAPT wrote. “IDEA funding is important to the ability of our members to safely transport children with disabilities.”

The statement also said NAPT looks forward to collaborating with the Education Department “to ensure safe and efficient transportation of America’s students.”

NAPT added it believes the Trump administration’s attempt at “examining and ending bureaucratic excess in all areas of the federal government” will extend to other NAPT partners such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Meanwhile, Trump’s executive order also targets “Dear Colleague Letters” that are issued by the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights and Office of Special Education Programs. Several have addressed transportation of students with disabilities and preschoolers. Trump’s order states these letters “have forced schools to redirect resources complying with ideological initiatives, which diverts staff time and attention away from schools’ primary role of teaching.”

AASA’s Edgerson Ng added the executive order makes any work being done by the Office of Civil Rights without a statutory mandate easier to be rescinded.

“That doesn’t mean that the Trump administration might not try to cut and gut programs that have a statutory base, but those will face a much more solid challenge because many of these programs existed before the Department of Ed, and so they’ll continue to exist after whatever [the executive order] is. They exist in law, so they have to exist in implementation,” she said.

Related: Transportation Professionals: A Critical Link in the Education of Students with Disabilities
Related: Setting Realistic Expectations for School Bus Drivers of Students with Special Needs
Related: Recommended Do’s and Don’ts for Meeting the Challenges of Transporting Children with Disabilities

Earlier this month, the Education Department announced layoffs affecting half the workforce, another attempt to dismantle the agency. A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states responded with a lawsuit last week against the Trump administration seeking an injunction. A U.S. district court issued a temporary restraining order to stop the firings and reinstate thousands of probationary employees.

“I think it’s feasible to anticipate that the Department of Ed, under Secretary McMahon’s cut and gut, do they over-cut and then find that they’re not able to meet the intent of Congress? And then, somehow, they set a middle ground where some people are brought back? Sure,” Edgerson Ng said. “But what that looks like again depends on the approach they take to cutting people and cutting programs.”

McMahon, the former executive for WWE and wife of founder Vince McMahon, drew the ire of many educators nationwide—including several student transporters spoken to on background for this article—when she was unable to say what the IDEA acronym stands for during a March 11 interview with Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham.

“This is my fifth day on the job. I’m trying to learn very quickly,” McMahon said.

This is a developing story.

The post Dismantling Education Department, Mandated Programs Would Need Congressional Approval appeared first on School Transportation News.

Is the sixth time a charm for the School Bus Safety Act?

Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois hope so, but the bill faces the added hurdle of passing both chambers that are controlled by Republicans. The two announced Wednesday the latest iteration: The School Bus Safety Act of 2025.

No bill numbers were available at this report.

The legislation, which most recently was introduced last fall but died, seeks the required installation of three-point seatbelts in all school buses, plus stability control and automatic braking systems, both of which are already being standard equipment on most large school buses.

The bill would also require event data recorders that capture pre- and post-crash data, driver inputs and restraint usage when a collision does occur. The act calls for a fire suppression system, which addresses engine fires and a firewall that prohibits hazardous quantities of gas or flame to pass from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment.

In a statement, Cohen called the safety measures recommended by National Transportation Safety Board “common sense.”

“We’ve seen too many deaths and serious injuries in school bus accidents in Tennessee and elsewhere, and it is past time we act to protect young lives,” he said.
A grant program would provide funding to help school districts meet the mandate.

Related: School Bus Safety Act for Seatbelts Again Introduced in Congress
Related: Blue Bird Announces Standard Lap/Shoulder Seatbelts on All School Buses
Related: NHTSA-Proposed Automatic Emergency Braking Has School Bus Safety Connection

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 7, 2025) – Late yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration?halted?new funding for state programs to install tens of thousands of new vehicle chargers along highways and at rest stops across the nation. A key part of the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure law, all 50 states have federally approved plans to build these fast chargers, …

The post New Federal Vehicle Charging Funds Halted appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Current methods used to process hydrogen into a usable fuel are cost-prohibitive, but several new innovations are promising to open the door to cost-competitive green hydrogen. Hydrogen is well positioned to be the fuel of the future. However, a commercially viable transition to green hydrogen – the environmentally friendly version of the fuel – seems …

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