FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2025
Contact: press@democracyforward.org, press@texasaft.org
Without Court Intervention, Unlawful Funding Freeze will Endanger Academic Programs and Staffing Across the Nation
Rhode Island — A coalition of school districts, parents, teachers’ unions, and nonprofit organizations represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, and Deluca, Weizenbaum, Barry, and Revins filed a lawsuit today against the Trump-Vance administration for unlawfully withholding nearly $6 billion in education funding that Congress directed to support students for the 2025–2026 school year. A motion for immediate relief via a preliminary injunction will follow this week.
The lawsuit seeks to compel the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to release critical funding that supports low-income students, English learners, after-school programs, immigrant students, and teacher training.
Congress appropriates funds through long-standing programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. By law, the Department was required to distribute this year’s funding to states by July 1, 2025. Instead, the Department has refused to release the funds, citing a so-called “programmatic review” to ensure spending aligns with the Trump-Vance administration’s political priorities, in direct violation of Congress’s constitutional authority over federal spending.
The plaintiffs argue that the administration’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the Impoundment Control Act, and the constitutional separation of powers. The coalition includes the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania, Anchorage School District, California Federation of Teachers, Cincinnati Public Schools, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Florida Education Association, Florida Parent Teacher Association (FLPTA), Illinois Federation of Teachers, Kuspuk School District, New York State United Teachers, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, and Texas American Federation of Teachers.
Plaintiff and co-counsel quotes are available here.
Without these funds, schools across the country face imminent cuts to academic programs, staffing, and student services, particularly for those in under-resourced communities.
The case is Anchorage School District et al. v. Department of Education et al.
Read the complaint here.
###
Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.