Attorney General Rayfield has joined forces with 20 other attorneys general to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The legal action aims to prevent the dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), following an announcement by the administration on March 11 about plans to cut approximately half of ED's workforce as part of a "total shutdown" strategy.
Rayfield expressed concern over the impact of these cuts, stating, “Cutting the Department of Education isn’t just a policy change, it’s a direct hit to our kids and their futures.” He emphasized that such actions would disproportionately affect vulnerable students.
The Department of Education plays a crucial role in serving nearly 18,200 school districts and over 50 million K-12 students across approximately 98,000 public schools and 32,000 private schools nationwide. It also supports more than 12 million postsecondary students each year. Programs benefiting students with disabilities and those from low-income families are among those at risk due to potential funding cuts.
The coalition argues that dismantling ED is both illegal and unconstitutional. They contend that since Congress authorized the Department as an executive agency through various laws establishing its programs and funding mechanisms, the Executive Branch lacks authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle it without congressional approval.
The lawsuit sees participation from attorneys general representing Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.