PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes today responded to official confirmation that the U.S. Department of Education has released previously withheld education funding to Arizona. Attorney General Mayes joined a coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt and unlawful decision to freeze this funding earlier this month.
“The Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of these critical funds threw the start of the school year into chaos in Arizona,” said Attorney General Mayes. “School leaders had to scramble to see how they could make up for millions in lost funding. Teachers and aides worried if their jobs were in jeopardy. And students and families were left wondering what would happen to after school programs. I am proud to have sued Donald Trump on their behalf to secure the funding our schools are legally owed and protect our communities from the consequences of this illegal overreach.”
BACKGROUND
On June 30, the Trump Administration abruptly and unlawfully froze funding for six long-standing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just weeks before the school year in many parts of Arizona is set to start. For decades, Arizona and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for migrant children and English learners; programs that promote effective classroom instruction, improve school conditions and the use of technology in the classroom; community learning centers that offer students a broad range of opportunities for academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts. In Arizona, an estimated $132 million in federal education funding was frozen, with many ongoing summer learning programs left immediately unfunded.
On July 14, Attorney General Mayes joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states together in filing a lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing that the freeze violates federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process, and the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause.
Attorney General Mayes is committed to defending Arizona’s public schools and students against the Trump Administration’s illegal attacks.
