Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 25 states in suing the Trump administration over its decision to freeze funding for six federal education programs, arguing the move is unlawful and harms students just weeks before the school year begins.
Per the news release distributed on Monday, July 14: “Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 25 states 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 is set to start. Without this funding, many educational programs will shutter. Already, ongoing summer learning programs have been left unfunded.
The attorneys general argue that the funding freeze violates the federal statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them. They also contend it violates laws governing the federal budgeting process, including the Antideficiency Act and the Impoundment Control Act, as well as the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause. The coalition is asking the court for declaratory and injunctive relief.
“This reckless funding freeze is directly harming Maryland’s students by taking more than $110 million from Maryland K–12 schools and adult education programs, which has jeopardized teacher training, thrown essential special needs services into chaos, and left families scrambling to find childcare before the start of a new school year,” said Attorney General Brown. “Maryland’s students are not pawns in political games over government spending—they need and deserve the educational resources that the Trump administration is threatening to cancel.”
For decades, Maryland and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of educational services, including programs for migratory children and English learners; initiatives that promote effective classroom instruction, improve school conditions, and integrate technology; community learning centers that offer academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts.
Under federal statutory and regulatory requirements, the Department of Education typically makes around 25% of the annual funds for these programs available to states on or around July 1. This enables state and local educational agencies to plan their budgets for the upcoming academic year. Maryland and the other plaintiff states have consistently met the legal conditions for receiving these funds, and their State plans have already been approved by the Department of Education. These funds have been distributed without issue for decades, including as recently as last year.
However, this year, on June 30, state agencies across the country received notification that the Department of Education would not be “obligating funds for” six formula funding programs on July 1. This sudden funding freeze has immediately disrupted preparations for the upcoming academic year.
Maryland’s local education agencies and adult education programs had already approved budgets, developed staffing plans, and signed contracts to deliver essential educational services funded by these grants. Now, due to the Trump administration’s actions, Maryland and the other plaintiff states face a severe funding shortfall just weeks before the 2025–2026 school year begins. Essential summer school and afterschool programs, which provide childcare for working parents, are already being impacted. The abrupt freeze is also derailing key teacher training efforts and programs that support students with special learning needs, including English learners.
In Baltimore City Public Schools alone, slightly more than $11 million has been frozen. These funds were intended to support 29 full-time equivalent positions, purchase instructional materials, and train educators. The loss threatens to reverse significant progress, such as the expansion of Advanced Placement access made over the past decade.
The $110 million frozen for Maryland comprises formula funds—distributed automatically according to a Congressional formula. The Constitution does not give the Executive Branch the authority to unilaterally withhold such funds based on vague claims of shifting “priorities.” Yet that is precisely what the Trump administration is attempting to do.
In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Brown and the multistate coalition argue that the administration’s actions violate multiple federal laws—including funding statutes, the Appropriations Act, apportionment requirements, the Administrative Procedure Act, and several constitutional provisions such as the separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause. The coalition is asking the Court to declare the funding freeze unlawful—as courts have done in similar multistate cases—and to block any effort to delay or withhold the funds.
Joining Attorney General Brown in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania have also joined the coalition.”
