A group of states, mostly Democratic-led, are suing Trump’s administration for access to COVID-19 funding related to education.
Multiple reports indicate that California, New York, and Pennsylvania are among the states that want to prevent the administration from cutting access to more than $1 billion to deal with the long-term impact of the pandemic on K -12 students.
The coalition consists of 16 states, including Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia.
Nevada is the only one of the states in the group with a Republican Governor – Joe Lombardo.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan and is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Newsweek reported that the lawsuit claims the Trump administration’s abrupt reversal of policy violates the Administrative Procedures Act.
The suit claims, “the end of the COVID-19 epidemic is not a legal basis for rescinding the previous extension approvals.”
James announced on X, “My office is leading a lawsuit against Trump to stop him from cutting access to hundreds of millions of dollars of funding to support low-income students and those who are homeless and to address the long-term impact of the pandemic on our children.”
Shapiro said, “Congress and the federal government made a commitment to our students” with the funding, which was part of the American Rescue Plan Act under former President Joe Biden.
Shapiro stated in a press release that the Trump administration was trying to backtrack on its promises to our children and leave Pennsylvania taxpayers with the bill. “Each Pennsylvania student deserves to be able to choose their path and to have the chance to succeed. I am taking action to protect that freedom and to ensure that no Pennsylvania student will be harmed by the federal government’s decision not to honor its promises.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said to the Los Angeles Times that schools are currently using previously awarded funds for after-school, summer, and mental health programs, new classroom technologies, and other infrastructure requirements.
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the secretary for education to take the necessary steps to close the Department and to return the education authority back to the States.
The Education Department, along with other federal agencies, has taken aggressive steps to reduce federal spending through the cancellation of contracts and grants.
