HHS Violated Law by Withholding Head Start Program Funding: GAO Report

The Department of Health and Human Services said it disputes the conclusion of the GAO report.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the Hubert H. Humphrey building in Washington on April 28, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The federal government broke the law when it temporarily withheld funding for the Head Start early education program for low-income children, a nonpartisan government watchdog said in a report released on July 23.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in its report that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violated the law by “withholding funds from expenditure” for the program between Jan. 20 and April 15, 2025.