New York Attorney General Letitia James has been joined by 22 other attorneys general and the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing nearly $7 billion in federal education funds.
The lawsuit, filed on July 14, accuses the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget of unlawfully halting funds allocated by Congress for longstanding programs that support migrant children, English learners, low-income students, and adult learners.
“This illegal and unjustified funding freeze will be devastating for students and families nationwide,” said Attorney General James. “Congress allocated these funds, and the law requires that they be delivered. We will not allow this administration to rewrite the rules to punish the communities it doesn’t like.”
The administration reportedly notified states just hours before the July 1 distribution deadline that the funding would be withheld, citing a vague “review” to align spending with “the president’s priorities.” No further explanation or legal justification was provided.
Programs affected include:
- The Migrant Education Program
- Title II-A (teacher recruitment and training)
- Title III-A (English learner support)
- Title IV-A (mental health, STEM, and arts education)
- Title IV-B (after-school and summer programs)
- Adult Education Grants
The freeze has already disrupted summer learning programs, teacher development, and child care services nationwide. In New York alone, more than $463 million in funding is at risk—including $102 million for after-school and summer programs, $125 million for teacher development, and $65 million for English learning and literacy initiatives. NYSED estimates 65,000 students could lose access to critical programs, while 80,000 adults may be cut off from literacy services.
In New York City, where nearly half of public school students speak a language other than English at home, the freeze threatens vital language instruction and education staffing. The state also faces potential layoffs of 67 full-time employees if the freeze persists.
The lawsuit argues that the freeze violates the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Impoundment Control Act by overriding Congress’ authority and failing to follow legal procedures for withholding funds.
Attorney General James and her coalition are seeking a preliminary injunction and a writ of mandamus to compel the administration to release the frozen funds. They stress that this is not the first time courts have intervened to stop similar overreaches.
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