A Slew of Blue States Are Suing Trump’s Department of Education

Sixteen Democrat-led states are suing the Trump administration over cuts the Department of Education (ED) made to mental health funding for schools.

In April, the ED announced that it would slash $1 billion in funding, pointing out that “woke” initiatives surrounding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) were included in the contracts that were being cut.

At the time, Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the ED, said, “These grants are intended to improve American students’ mental health by funding additional mental health professionals in schools and on campuses.”

“Instead, under the deeply flawed priorities of the Biden Administration, grant recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help,” she explained. “We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students’ mental health.”

The lawsuit was filed by New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) claimed, “Department of Education is abandoning our children when they need us most,” adding that “These grants have helped thousands of students access critical mental health services at a time when young people are facing record levels of depression, trauma, and anxiety.”

The administration illegally slashed over $1 billion in mental health funding for students nationwide.

Congress established these grants after Parkland and Uvalde to address the youth mental health crisis.

Today, I’m suing to restore these crucial funds and protect our kids.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 1, 2025