Shapiro Sues Trump Again, This Time Over School Funding

PENNSYLVANIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro has joined a multi-state lawsuit with 25 other states and the District of Columbia that Shapiro contends the Trump administration is illegally withholding $230 million to Pennsylvania schools.

Shapiro contends the funding covers vital programs for Pennsylvania students and teachers like before- and after- school programming, teacher training and professional development, adult and family literacy programs and education for children from farming families.

In February, Shapiro filed a lawsuit over state agencies' inability to access $1.2 billion in federal money. The federal government eventually acquiesced and released the funding.

"Every Pennsylvania child deserves the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed," Shapiro said in a statement released while the governor was in Pittsburgh helping to announce the state was getting a $90 billion private investment in energy and artificial intelligence programs.

"Once again, the Trump administration is trying to take away dollars that were committed to Pennsylvania - this time from our schools. I'm suing to force the Trump administration to deliver the money our students and schools were promised and owed - critical funds that school districts rely on to meet their budgets, train high-quality teachers, provide after-school programs and more."

On June 30, the U.S. Department of Education, which Trump is dismantling, notified the state that it was halting the funding. They typically are available on July 1 of each year to allow state and local educational agencies to plan for the coming school year.

The lawsuit is co-led by California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and
Washington DC.