In early July, the Delaware Department of Education became aware that the Trump Administration, through the US Departments of Education and Health and Social Services, issued notices that they were attempting to re-interpret language in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The U.S. Department of Education’s notice was made in accordance with the Trump Administration’s specious interpretation of PRWORA. The Trump Administration’s interpretation amounted to a chaotic reversal of bipartisan policy for the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, Justice, and Health & Human Services; it barred safety net programs including Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and community health centers from serving children, seniors, and other individuals who cannot verify immigration status.

“We have never had to fight so hard to defend children—in this case some of Delaware’s most vulnerable—from their own president. Threatening to defund these critical education programs is illegal – and while Donald Trump may not care about that fact, the Courts certainly do. Every child in our state is my constituent and I will always go to the mat for them. We’ll see you in court.” – AG Jennings