DELAWARE - The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to defund Head Start and other programs in Delaware on Sept. 21, according to Attorney General Kathy Jennings' office.
The court granted a motion of summary judgement in favor of plaintiffs, including AG Jennings. The ruling blocks the Trump administration from implementing rule changes to the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The plaintiffs alleged this would have resulted in the loss of childcare, healthcare and educational programs in Delaware.
“This is nothing short of a colossal victory for the most vulnerable Delawareans,” said Attorney General Jennings. “While it is shameful that this lawsuit ever needed to be filed in the first place, I am proud of this result; I hope it affirms that our office will stand up wherever we can to protect our state.”
In July 2025, the Delaware Department of Education became aware the Trump Administration, by way of the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Social Services, issued notices attempting to re-interpret language in PRWORA, according to the attorney general's office. The re-interpretations did not allow safety net programs, like Head Start, Meals on Wheels and community health centers, to serve children, seniors or other individuals who cannot verify immigration status.
Following the notice of the proposed changes, Attorney General Jennings and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop the changes from going into effect. In Sept. 2025, the court entered a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration, blocking them from implementing the rule changes.
Beyond safety net programs, the Trump administration’s proposed cuts would also have impacted Delaware educational services, including adult literacy programs, English language learning programs and career education programs in community colleges and all public school districts. The attorney general's office said the services in Delaware that would have been impacted by the proposed cuts amounted to more than $11 million in federal grants for more than 250 education programs, serving approximately 50,000 Delawareans of all ages.
