Attorney General Mayes Wins Court Order Restoring Critical Education Funds to Arizona

PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes today secured a court order forcing 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.

“The Trump administration violated the law when it tried to strip away critical education funding that Congress had already appropriated,” said Attorney General Mayes. “This order restores essential support for students and holds the administration accountable to the rule of law.”

On April 10, Attorney General Mayes and a coalition of 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania sued the Trump administration for unilaterally ending access to over $1 billion in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which ED had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. The preliminary injunction issued today by Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York orders ED to immediately restore states’ access to these critical funds as the case continues.

To combat the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ARPA funded three education-related programs to help support states’ school systems and direct more resources to the most vulnerable students. These three programs – Homeless Children and Youth (HCY), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) – provide essential resources to help schools and students recover from the lasting impacts of the pandemic. 
 
Attorney General Mayes and the coalition asserted that ED’s arbitrary and abrupt termination of the states’ access to these funds is causing a massive, unexpected budget gap that will hurt students and teachers by cutting off vital education services.

Judge Ramos today granted the states’ motion for a preliminary injunction barring ED from blocking states’ access to ARPA funding. The preliminary injunction order issued today prevents ED from enforcing a March 28, 2025 letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon rescinding states’ ability to access their awarded ARPA funding.

Joining Attorney General Mayes in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, and the District of Columbia, along with the Governor of Pennsylvania.

A copy of the court order is available below.