In a notable victory for education funding, Attorney General Mayes has successfully secured a court order that mandates the Trump administration to restore billions in Department of Education program funds that had been earmarked for aiding low-income and unhoused students in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported on Tuesday by the Arizona Attorney General's office, this legal triumph ensures that resources meant for the most vulnerable students won't be left in the lurch.
The dispute centered on a move by the Education Department, under Secretary Linda McMahon's guidance, that ended access to over $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act without prior warning, the cut-off was an action that Attorney General Mayes and a conglomerate of fellow attorneys general from 15 states and the Governor of Pennsylvania, argued was not only abrupt but illegitimate as it had earmarked funding available through March 2026. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos has since stepped in, issuing a preliminary injunction that orders the restoration of these funds, citing their necessity in battling the persistent repercussions of the global health crisis on K-12 education.
At the heart of the contention were three ARPA-funded educational programs: Homeless Children and Youth (HCY), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS), these initiatives are designed to support school systems and provide aid to the students most in need during these trying times. The coalition put forth that such arbitrary termination by the Education Department led to unexpected budget deficits with potential damaging effects on students and educators alike.
Following Judge Ramos's injunction, the Education Department is now barred from enforcing the March 28, 2025, decree that rescinded states' access to their rightfully awarded ARPA funds, Attorney General Mayes has been joined in this legal battle by attorneys general from California, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, and the District of Columbia.
