Attorney General Neronha, coalition secure major win in lawsuit challenging withholding of education funding
Published on Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today issued the following statement after securing an agreement requiring the Trump Administration to release the full balance of remaining education funding at issue in a multistate lawsuit by no later than October 3, 2025. Last month, Attorney General Neronha joined a coalition 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 just weeks before the school year was set to start.
“When we fight back against this Administration, we win,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Because of our lawsuit and immense public pressure, billions in critical education funding will rightfully be restored to fund a wide range of important educational programs, without which the growth and enrichment of our young people would be stifled. That said, our victory in this case must be put into context: this funding was not the President’s to withhold in the first place. We will continue to hold this Administration accountable, and we do so with the overwhelming support of everyday Americans who stand with us in fighting for what’s right. We have built the biggest and best law firm in the country, and we go to work every day for one client: the American people.”
Background
On June 30, the Trump Administration abruptly and unlawfully froze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just weeks before the school year in many parts of Rhode Island is set to start. For decades, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island, an estimated $29 million in federal education funding was frozen, with many ongoing summer learning programs left immediately unfunded.
On July 14, Attorney General co-led 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.
For more information on our federal accountability work, please visit our website.
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