New York Attorney General Letitia James has initiated legal action against the Trump administration, leading a coalition of 20 attorneys general. The lawsuit aims to prevent the dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), following an announcement by the administration on March 11 that it would terminate approximately half of ED's workforce as part of a plan for a "total shutdown" of the department.
Attorney General James stated, "This administration may claim to be stopping waste and fraud, but it is clear that their only mission is to take away the necessary services, resources, and funding that students and their families need." She emphasized that reducing ED's workforce would negatively impact students nationwide, particularly those from low-income backgrounds and those with disabilities who depend on federal support.
The Department of Education serves over 50 million K-12 students across more than 18,200 school districts in the United States. It also supports over 12 million postsecondary students annually. Federal funds provided by ED assist with special education needs such as assistive technology, teacher salaries, transportation services, physical therapy, speech therapy, and social work.
The lawsuit highlights potential adverse effects on states like New York if ED is dismantled. In federal fiscal year 2024 alone, New York received $6.17 billion in K-12 funding from ED—equating to $2,438 per student—and an average of $1,256 per student for public colleges and universities. The lawsuit argues that these layoffs would severely impair ED's ability to perform essential functions such as processing financial aid and maintaining its Office of Civil Rights.
The coalition contends that the executive branch lacks authority to incapacitate or dismantle an agency established by Congress without legislative approval. They are seeking a court order to halt the proposed workforce reductions and program cuts at ED.
Joining Attorney General James in this legal challenge are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island Washington Wisconsin Vermont and the District of Columbia.
This lawsuit follows several other actions taken by Attorney General James against policies enacted by the Trump administration. These include securing injunctions related to birthright citizenship revocation and blocking access to private information through U.S Treasury channels among others.