AG James led a coalition of 16 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in suing the Trump administration to restore states’ access to critical Department of Education (ED) programs that support low-income and unhoused students and provide funding for other services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students. On March 28, ED notified states that it was unilaterally ending access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which ED had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. The ED’s sudden change in position and arbitrary termination of states’ access to these funds has created a massive budget gap for state education departments and local school districts that will cause serious harm to students throughout the country. New York alone has lost access to $134 million in funds due to ED’s decision.  

“The Trump administration’s latest attack on our schools will hurt our most vulnerable students and make it harder for them to thrive. Cutting school systems’ access to vital resources that our students and teachers rely on is outrageous and illegal. As a proud graduate of New York public schools, I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to fight for our schools and make sure every child has access to a quality education.”- AG James