Delaware News

Attorney General Jennings sues Trump for freezing $6.8 billion in education grants weeks before school year start

Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Monday, July 14, 2025


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings today joined a coalition of 25 states in suing the Trump Administration over its unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary decision to freeze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Without this funding, many educational programs will shutter; ongoing summer learning programs have already been left unfunded. The attorneys general argue that this funding freeze violates the federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, violates federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process (including the Antideficiency Act and Impoundment Control Act), and violates the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause. They ask the court for declaratory and injunctive relief. 
“Whether it’s attacking children in afterschool programs, depriving HIV/AIDS patients around the world of lifesaving care, or kicking millions off of Medicaid, the inhumanity of this Administration is profound,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “We have fought for – and will continue to fight for – the health and safety and wellbeing of Delawareans and stand up for those who need us most.”
“Freezing critical education funding just weeks before school starts will leave students without essential resources, teachers without support, and families scrambling,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “The Trump administration is pushing reckless, last-minute decisions that threaten to devastate classrooms across the country. Delaware refuses to let political games jeopardize the education and future of our kids.”
“Congress approved the funds, and the President signed them in to law because our students need and deserve vital support,” said Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten. “Denying the funds to our students is reckless and irresponsible. We are grateful to Attorney General Jennings for taking on another fight on behalf of our children. Delaware leaders are united in our determination to provide our students with the support they deserve.”
“I never thought I would see a U.S. President so willing to rob vulnerable students of the Congressionally-funded supports they so desperately need,” said Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “But now, just like the Trump Organization broke contracts and stiffed workers, the Trump Administration seems determined to cheat our schools out of the funding they were promised to help improve student test scores and address the statewide teacher shortage,” she said. “Thankfully, we have elected leaders here in Delaware, like Attorney General Kathy Jennings, who are willing to stand up and fight for the federal funding that’s owed to our students, owed to our schools, and owed to our communities.”

For decades, Delaware and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for 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.Pursuant to federal statutory and regulatory requirements, the Department of Education makes around 25% of the funds for these programs available annually to states on or about July 1 in order to permit state and local educational agencies to plan their budgets for the academic year ahead. The States have complied with the funding conditions set forth under the law and have State plans that the Department of Education has already approved. The States have received these funds, without incident, for decades, including as recently as last year. However, this year, on June 30, state agencies across the country received a notification announcing that the Department of Education would not be “obligating funds for” six formula funding programs on July 1.

In Delaware, roughly $28,618.570 in federal education funding is frozen – representing 18.4% of the US Department of Education’s K-12 funding. This funding freeze has immediately thrown into chaos plans for the upcoming academic year. Local education agencies have approved budgets, developed staffing plans, and signed contracts to provide vital educational services under these grants. Now, as a result of the Trump Administration’s actions, States find themselves without sufficient funding for these commitments, just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Essential summer school and afterschool programs, which provide childcare to working parents of school age children, are already being impacted. The abrupt freeze is also wreaking havoc on key teacher training programs as well as programs that make school more accessible to children with special learning needs, such as English learners.

In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Jennings and a coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s actions violate federal funding statutes and Appropriations Act, Apportionment, the Administrative Procedures Act and U.S. Constitution, including the separation of powers doctrine, equitable ultra vires, and the Presentment Clause. They asked the Court to declare the funding freeze unlawful – as courts have repeatedly done in other multistate cases – and block any attempts to withhold or delay this funding.
Attorney General Jennings joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona, Connecticut, D.C., Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin along with the Governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky in filing the lawsuit.
A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

###

image_printPrint

Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

Attorney General Jennings sues Trump for freezing $6.8 billion in education grants weeks before school year start

Department of Justice Press Releases | Newsroom | Date Posted: Monday, July 14, 2025


Navy blue background featuring the Delaware state seal in the center
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings today joined a coalition of 25 states in suing the Trump Administration over its unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary decision to freeze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Without this funding, many educational programs will shutter; ongoing summer learning programs have already been left unfunded. The attorneys general argue that this funding freeze violates the federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, violates federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process (including the Antideficiency Act and Impoundment Control Act), and violates the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause. They ask the court for declaratory and injunctive relief. 
“Whether it’s attacking children in afterschool programs, depriving HIV/AIDS patients around the world of lifesaving care, or kicking millions off of Medicaid, the inhumanity of this Administration is profound,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “We have fought for – and will continue to fight for – the health and safety and wellbeing of Delawareans and stand up for those who need us most.”
“Freezing critical education funding just weeks before school starts will leave students without essential resources, teachers without support, and families scrambling,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “The Trump administration is pushing reckless, last-minute decisions that threaten to devastate classrooms across the country. Delaware refuses to let political games jeopardize the education and future of our kids.”
“Congress approved the funds, and the President signed them in to law because our students need and deserve vital support,” said Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten. “Denying the funds to our students is reckless and irresponsible. We are grateful to Attorney General Jennings for taking on another fight on behalf of our children. Delaware leaders are united in our determination to provide our students with the support they deserve.”
“I never thought I would see a U.S. President so willing to rob vulnerable students of the Congressionally-funded supports they so desperately need,” said Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “But now, just like the Trump Organization broke contracts and stiffed workers, the Trump Administration seems determined to cheat our schools out of the funding they were promised to help improve student test scores and address the statewide teacher shortage,” she said. “Thankfully, we have elected leaders here in Delaware, like Attorney General Kathy Jennings, who are willing to stand up and fight for the federal funding that’s owed to our students, owed to our schools, and owed to our communities.”

For decades, Delaware and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for 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.Pursuant to federal statutory and regulatory requirements, the Department of Education makes around 25% of the funds for these programs available annually to states on or about July 1 in order to permit state and local educational agencies to plan their budgets for the academic year ahead. The States have complied with the funding conditions set forth under the law and have State plans that the Department of Education has already approved. The States have received these funds, without incident, for decades, including as recently as last year. However, this year, on June 30, state agencies across the country received a notification announcing that the Department of Education would not be “obligating funds for” six formula funding programs on July 1.

In Delaware, roughly $28,618.570 in federal education funding is frozen – representing 18.4% of the US Department of Education’s K-12 funding. This funding freeze has immediately thrown into chaos plans for the upcoming academic year. Local education agencies have approved budgets, developed staffing plans, and signed contracts to provide vital educational services under these grants. Now, as a result of the Trump Administration’s actions, States find themselves without sufficient funding for these commitments, just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Essential summer school and afterschool programs, which provide childcare to working parents of school age children, are already being impacted. The abrupt freeze is also wreaking havoc on key teacher training programs as well as programs that make school more accessible to children with special learning needs, such as English learners.

In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Jennings and a coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s actions violate federal funding statutes and Appropriations Act, Apportionment, the Administrative Procedures Act and U.S. Constitution, including the separation of powers doctrine, equitable ultra vires, and the Presentment Clause. They asked the Court to declare the funding freeze unlawful – as courts have repeatedly done in other multistate cases – and block any attempts to withhold or delay this funding.
Attorney General Jennings joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona, Connecticut, D.C., Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin along with the Governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky in filing the lawsuit.
A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

###

image_printPrint

Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.