Democratic attorneys general and two governors from two dozen states sued the Trump administration on Monday, arguing the Republican White House unconstitutionally froze more than $6 billion in public school funding.
The loss of the cash, previously approved by Congress, threw a wrench into summer and after-school programs across the country, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell and several of her colleagues said during a news conference.
The Bay State’s share came out to $108 million, according to the Healey administration.
Monday’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, by 23 state attorneys general and Democratic governors from Pennsylvania and Kentucky, asks a judge to issue an injunction blocking the White House’s action.
Of the $6.8 billion being withheld nationwide, approximately $3.6 billion is being withheld from the plaintiff states, Campbell’s office said in a statement.
The lawsuit names President Donald Trump, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought as defendants.
“Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education,“ Campbell, who co-led the litigation, said during a Monday news conference announcing the litigation. ”We are home to some of the best schools in the world. From kindergarten to higher [education]. We lead the nation in student achievement.”
“We firmly believe that all children deserve access to a high-qualitythe education that meets their individual needs,” she continued. “And let me be clear, if this latest federal action goes unchecked, our students, our families, our schools and our communities will absolutely suffer.”
The attorneys general of California, Colorado, and Rhode Island joined Campbell as co-leaders of the litigation, her office said.
The White House announced earlier this month that it was holding back on the federal grant money, approved by Congress, as it conducted a review to ensure that it was aligned with Trump’s priorities, CBS News reported earlier this month.
“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president’s priorities and the department’s statutory responsibilities,” the U.S. Department of Education wrote to states in its announcement, according to Stateline.org.
The Education Department typically releases its allocations by July 1 to ensure schools can budget and plan effectively for the coming school year.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey blasted the move, arguing in a statement that “every day that goes by without this education funding hurts children, educators, communities and our economy.”
“Without this funding, districts are going to be forced to lay off staff, delay or cancel programs and services, and disrupt learning. Our schools were promised this funding, and the Trump administration needs to deliver it,” Healey said.
- Read More: Trump admin withholds $108M in K-12 funding for Mass., throwing summer programs into doubt
In a statement, Campbell’s office said she and her colleagues believe the freeze violates the federal laws and regulations authorizing the money’s release and those that govern the federal budget process. They also argue that it violates the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, since the power of the purse rests with Congress.
“The Constitution does not afford the Executive Branch power to unilaterally refuse to spend appropriations that were passed by both houses of Congress and were signed into law,” Campbell’s office said in its statement.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who also participated in Monday’s news conference, called the White House’s decision to withhold the money “unconscionable.”
“Last week, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon at a summer program at Bel Air Park Elementary School in Napa, California,” he said. “I saw, first hand, the … education and programming made possible,” by the federal funding.
“I watched make minestrone soup in their cooking class, and even chopped some onions with them,” he continued. I saw the art projects they were working on. I saw the exercise that they were getting …. I saw how much the program meant to those kids, how irreplaceable it is for them and their families.”
The Trump administration has used a little-known federal regulation known as the “agencies priorities clause” to choke off billions of dollars in funding for programs ranging from fighting violent crime and education to protecting clean drinking water and addressing food insecurity.
The rule allows the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to terminate federal funding if it’s determined that the money “no longer effectuates … agency priorities.”
Campbell previously joined with more than 20 of her colleagues nationwide in a federal lawsuit that seeks to end the procedural gambit.
Monday’s lawsuit marks the 31st legal action that state attorneys general have taken in 25 weeks against the White House, Bonta told reporters. Eight have specifically focused on education-related matters, he said.
“We bring cases when the law and facts dictate we’re going to win,” Bonta said when he was asked what he thought of his chances of success with the new lawsuit.
“We don’t bring cases when we have nothing but political grievance or ideological or political differences,” Bonta continued. “That would be inappropriate,” he continued. We go to courts of law to seek relief when the facts …. indicate that a law has been broken and relief is appropriate. That’s what we’ve done here.”
Attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin also joined the litigation.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
