Trump administration sued by several states for illegally freezing education funding

New York, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-two U.S. states jointly filed a lawsuit in the federal court of Rhode Island on July 14, accusing the Trump administration of illegally freezing up to $6.8 billion in federal education funds.

In this more than 90-page lawsuit, the plaintiffs' coalition led by California asked the federal court to rule that the Trump administration's freezing of education funds was unconstitutional. The frozen funds were originally used to support a number of important education projects, including after-school tutoring for low-income students, summer school courses, English proficiency improvement programs, and teacher professional development programs.

The New York Times reported that the attorneys general of 22 states including California, New York, and Illinois, as well as the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, participated in the joint lawsuit. These officials agreed that the Trump administration's actions seriously undermined the educational rights of the states.

The lawsuit pointed out that the education funds were originally scheduled to be allocated before July 1, but the U.S. Department of Education suddenly notified the states on June 30 that the funds could not be disbursed as scheduled. This sudden freezing decision forced the suspension of summer courses and after-school programs in many schools across the United States, causing irreparable learning losses for students who rely on these educational services.

According to a report by ABC, in addition to the Trump administration, the defendants in this lawsuit also include the U.S. Department of Education. Although the department is facing the fate of institutional streamlining and even possible abolition, as the direct responsible agency for education funding management, it is still listed as the target of accountability.

According to National Public Radio, the Trump administration is currently reviewing these frozen education projects and plans to completely cancel the funding arrangements for related projects in the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. This move has caused widespread concern among educators.