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By Brendan Pierson
NEW YORK (Reuters) -A group of Democratic state attorneys general on Thursday sued the Trump administration in an effort to stop it from cutting off more than $1.1 billion in funding meant to help address the long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary and high school students.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, comes after the Department of Education on March 28 said it would no longer allow states to access funds under programs enacted as part of the COVID relief law under former Democratic President Joe Biden. The department had previously said the funds would be available through March 2026.
Many states had planned on the funding and now face significant budget shortfalls because of the sudden reversal, according to the lawsuit. The funding was earmarked for projects that included upgrading school buildings, providing tutoring to students who fell behind during the pandemic and providing food for homeless students, the lawsuit said.
"The Trump administration's latest attack on our schools will hurt our most vulnerable students and make it harder for them to thrive," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who helped lead the lawsuit. "Cutting school systems' access to vital resources that our students and teachers rely on is outrageous and illegal."
Other plaintiffs include the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and the District of Columbia, as well as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. They allege that the administration's reversal did not follow procedures required by federal law, and are seeking a court order blocking it.
The White House and Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to dismantle the Department of Education. Under his administration, federal agencies have moved aggressively to cut federal spending without input from Congress by canceling contracts and grants, prompting numerous legal challenges.
Last week, a federal judge blocked the administration for now from cutting about $11 billion in COVID-era public health grants.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi; editing by Diane Craft)
