By Aaron Allen, Seattle Medium
Washington state has joined 20 other states in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Trump administration from dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts, argues that Trump’s actions are illegal and would effectively cripple a critical federal agency, leaving millions of students—particularly those from low-income families and students with disabilities—without essential resources and support.
Joining Washington in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown says Trump’s plan would gut education funding and drastically reduce the DOE’s workforce, rendering the agency incapable of fulfilling its statutory duties.
“Like so many things that we’re seeing from the Trump administration, they are acting unlawfully and doing so in a way that will have real, tangible impacts on people,” Brown said. “The proposed cuts to the Department of Education, as we read the potential impact, would essentially remove all of the people from some of the statutorily required programs within the department. I was happy to join that suit with my colleague states across the country.”
The Trump administration has proposed firing approximately 50% of the DOE workforce, a move the lawsuit argues is part of a broader effort to completely dismantle the department. According to the Attorney General’s office, these job cuts would leave the DOE unable to perform essential functions, ultimately harming students nationwide.
Ninety percent of U.S. students and 95% of students with disabilities are educated in public schools, where they depend on federally funded programs managed by the DOE. Brown says students with disabilities and those from low-income families stand to lose the most if these cuts take effect.
“Students with disabilities and students from low-income families are some of the primary beneficiaries of these services and funding,” Brown said. “Federal funds for special education include support for assistive technology, teacher salaries and benefits, transportation, physical therapy and speech therapy services, and social workers who help manage students’ educational experiences.”
Beyond special education services, the DOE also provides critical support for rural communities, helping schools with limited resources and personnel compete for federal grants. The Attorney General’s office warns that slashing the DOE’s workforce would severely weaken these programs, leaving students in rural areas without the educational opportunities they need to succeed.
According to the lawsuit, the administration’s actions will also gut the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for protecting students from discrimination and sexual assault. Additionally, cutting DOE funding would delay or prevent the processing of financial aid applications, making it harder for millions of college students to access loans, Pell Grants, and work-study programs.
The multi-state coalition is seeking a court order to block the administration’s efforts, arguing that the executive branch does not have the authority to dismantle the DOE without Congressional approval. Brown says the lawsuit is necessary to protect students, families, and the fundamental role of education in American society.
“Knowledge is power, and these cuts are intended to take invaluable learning opportunities away from millions of students,” Brown said. “As many of Trump’s illegal cuts do, these impacts will fall hardest on young people and families that can least afford it.”
The lawsuit also challenges the administration’s lack of justification for the mass firings, stating that the proposed cuts are “not supported by any actual reasoning or specific determinations about how to eliminate purported waste in the Department.” Instead, the complaint argues that the executive order is “part and parcel of President Trump’s and Secretary McMahon’s opposition to the Department of Education’s entire existence.”
Brown acknowledges that while the president has significant authority to shape federal agencies, there are legal limits to his power.
“There will be two sides to the argument, right? We have been involved in a number of cases thus far—some led by Washington, some that we’ve joined with our other states—and we have been successful in all of those cases thus far in either getting a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, all but one,” Brown said.
“But the president has a tremendous amount of authority to shape the federal government, and there is certainly power in the presidency and the administration to reduce the number of employees that are operating in federal government to change and alter programs,” he continued.
Brown says the legal team is prepared to challenge the administration in court, but the Justice Department’s arguments remain to be seen.
“We’ll have to see what the Department of Justice arguments are to the contrary and what they’re saying on behalf of DOE,” Brown said. “But it seems to me to be pretty counter to a whole host of legal requirements. So, I think we’ve got a strong case, but we just have to take it one step at a time.”
Source: Seattle Medium
