Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia on July 14 sued the Trump administration, alleging that officials illegally froze more than $6 billion in funding for educational programs such as after-school care.
State officials say the funds have been appropriated by Congress and legally should have been released on July 1 to enable states and local school districts to prepare for the upcoming school year.
But the U.S. Department of Education on June 30 said the funds are being held for now, pending a review to make sure the money would be spent “in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Rhode Island.
The White House Office of Management and Budget is participating in the review, according to the suit.
In a separate motion for a preliminary injunction, or a block on the funding freeze as the case moves forward, the states argued that the freeze violates the U.S. Constitution because the executive branch can’t decide not to spend money appropriated by Congress.
“Defendants’ unlawful, arbitrary and unconstitutional actions must be preliminarily enjoined, and the funds for these programs must be made available to Plaintiff States while this litigation proceeds,” the motion states.
The states represented by attorneys general include California, New York, and Rhode Island.
“With no rhyme or reason, the Trump Administration abruptly froze billions of dollars in education funding just weeks before the start of the school year. In doing so, it has threatened the existence of programs that provide critical after school and summer learning opportunities, that teach English to students, and that provide educational technology to our classrooms,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement.
California officials estimate that $939 million in federal education funding appropriated for the state has been frozen.
“The President is taking aim at the growth and enrichment of our young people by freezing essential funding, approved by Congress, for a wide range of important educational programs, leaving the Rhode Island Department of Education and similar agencies across the country to scramble,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, a Democrat, said.
Spokespersons for the Department of Education and the White House did not return requests for comment.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, both Democrats, joined the lawsuit. The attorneys general of Kentucky and Pennsylvania are Republicans.
President Donald Trump had previously moved to dismantle the Education Department. A federal judge in May blocked mass layoffs at the department, but the U.S. Supreme Court on July 14 said the firings could proceed.
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at zack.stieber@epochtimes.com
