New Jersey public schools are being deliberately shortchanged. The Trump administration has frozen $143 million in federal education funding that Congress approved—money meant to support teacher training, after-school programs, summer learning, and services for English language learners.

This is not a delay. It’s executive overreach—an attempt to override Congress’s constitutional power of the purse and impose political ideology at the expense of our kids.

What’s equally disturbing is the silence of New Jersey’s entire Republican congressional delegation. Not one has spoken out. Not one has demanded the release of these critical funds. Not one has defended the authority of Congress or the needs of their constituents.

Where is the outrage from Thomas Kean Jr., Chris Smith, Jeff Van Drew, and Frank Pallotta? Their districts include thousands of students and families who depend on these programs. Their job is to represent them—not to enable a president who treats federal education funding as a campaign bargaining chip.

This is a moment that demands backbone, not blind loyalty. If New Jersey’s Republican representatives refuse to defend our schools, our students, and the Constitution, voters should remember that in November.