Sen. Susan Collins and nine Republican colleagues in the Senate are asking the Trump administration to unfreeze federal education grant funding that includes $28 million for Maine.

The senators sent a letter Wednesday to Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, urging the administration to release the funds that states expected to be disbursed by July 1.

“Withholding these funds will harm students, families and local economies,” the letter states.

The funding for a series of grants, including Student Support and Academic Enrichment, English Language Acquisition, and Migrant Education, was part of the stopgap budget bill President Donald Trump signed in March to prevent a government shutdown.

The letter to Vought is signed by Collins and Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia; John Boozman, Arkansas; Katie Britt, Alabama; Deb Fischer, Nebraska; John Hoeven, North Dakota; Jim Justice, West Virginia: Mitch McConnell, Kentucky; Lisa Murkowski, Alaska; and Mike Rounds, South Dakota.

“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states. This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent,” the letter states.

The senators argue these funds are of bipartisan interest, such as supporting after-school and summer programs and easier access to education for adult learners.

“We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,” the letter states. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”

The letter includes an invitation to Vought and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to work collaboratively “to ensure that all federal education funding goes towards programs that help states and school districts provide students an excellent education.”

“We want to see students in our states and across the country thrive, whether they are adult learners, students who speak English as a second language, or students who need after-school care so that their parents can work,” the letter states. “We believe you share the same goal.”