New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 22 other attorneys general and the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, has initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The legal action is in response to the administration’s decision to freeze nearly $7 billion in education funds that were previously allocated by Congress. This move has impacted several key educational programs nationwide.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget halted funding for six established programs on June 30. These programs include after-school care, English language instruction for non-native speakers, teacher recruitment and training, STEM and arts curricula expansion, and bullying prevention services. Attorney General James described the freeze as “illegal” and said it would have devastating consequences for students and families who rely on these services.
For decades, Congress has mandated that these funds be released by July 1 to ensure schools receive necessary resources before the new academic year begins. However, just hours before this deadline, states were informed that the funds would not be disbursed due to an ongoing “review” aligning with presidential priorities. No detailed explanation was provided regarding this review.
The funding freeze affects various programs such as the Migrant Education Program, Title II-A for teacher support in low-income areas, Title III-A for English learners, Title IV-A for student well-being initiatives, Title IV-B known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, and Adult Education Grants. The freeze has caused disruptions across school systems with essential summer school programs being canceled or at risk.
In New York alone, over $463 million designated for K-12 education in the upcoming school year has been frozen. This includes significant allocations for teacher development, safe learning environments, after-school activities, English learning initiatives, migrant student support, and adult literacy funding. The majority of this funding impacts 730 school districts across New York.
Attorney General James argues that the freeze violates both constitutional law and federal statutes by ignoring established congressional procedures related to budget allocation. She emphasizes that similar actions by the Trump administration have been overturned by federal courts in the past.
The coalition seeks a court ruling declaring the funding freeze illegal and aims to secure a preliminary injunction covering all plaintiff states involved in this lawsuit.
Joining Attorney General James are attorneys general from multiple states including Arizona, California, Colorado among others as well as governors from Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
