DELAWARE - Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings has joined 25 states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging what they call an unconstitutional freeze on nearly $29 million in federal education funding.
The U.S. Department of Education halted funding for six longstanding programs, claiming to leave Delaware and other states scrambling weeks before the new school year. The programs support English learners, classroom technology, summer and afterschool enrichment, adult education and teacher training.
“Whether it’s attacking children in afterschool programs, depriving HIV/AIDS patients around the world of lifesaving care, or kicking millions off of Medicaid, the inhumanity of this Administration is profound,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
Governor Matt Meyer criticized the move as “reckless, last-minute decisions that threaten to devastate classrooms across the country,” while Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten called the funding freeze “irresponsible.”
In Delaware, about $28.6 million in K-12 funding is now inaccessible. That represents more than 18 percent of the state’s federal education funding and has already disrupted budgets, staffing and summer programs, according to the state's release.
The coalition of states argues the funding freeze violates the Antideficiency Act, the Impoundment Control Act, and the constitutional separation of powers. The lawsuit seeks a court order blocking the freeze and requiring the administration to release the funds.