A group of mostly Democrat-led states is suing the Trump administration to access COVID-related funding for education, it was reported.
California, New York, and Pennsylvania are among the states seeking to stop the administration from cutting off access to more than $1 billion in funding to address the long-term effects of the pandemic on K-12 students, according to multiple reports.
The coalition comprises 16 states — which also include Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon — and the District of Columbia.
Nevada is the only state in the group that has a Republican governor – Joe Lombardo.
The White House emailed Newsmax to say President Donald Trump is trying to stop states from "acting irresponsibly."
"COVID is over, and President Trump is ensuring that billions in remaining pandemic relief funds aren't being spent senselessly on unintended purposes. States using federal money as a blank check are acting irresponsibly, and this administration won't stand for it," Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, ABC News reported.
The lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration's sudden reversal violates the Administrative Procedures Act, Newsweek reported.
"The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is not a lawful basis to rescind the prior extension approvals," the suit states.
James posted on X that her "office is leading a coalition to sue Trump and stop him from trying to cut access to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding that supports low-income and unhoused students and the long-term effects the pandemic had on our kids."
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.
"Now the Trump administration is trying to renege on its commitments to our kids and leave Pennsylvania taxpayers holding the bag," Shapiro said in a statement. "Every Pennsylvania student deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. I'm taking action to preserve that freedom and ensure no Pennsylvania student is harmed by the federal government's decision to go back on its word."
The previously awarded funding is currently being used by schools for after-school and summer learning programs, student mental health services, new classroom technology, and other infrastructure needs, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Los Angeles Times.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month directing the secretary of education to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the department and return education authority to the states.
The Education Department has joined other federal agencies in aggressively moving to cut federal spending by canceling contracts and grants.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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