On July 14th, local time, a state coalition primarily led by the Democrats in the United States filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of withholding approximately $6.8 billion in educational funding approved by Congress.
The lawsuit was brought by the Attorney General or Governor of each of the 24 states and the District of Columbia in the federal court in Providence, Rhode Island, alleging that the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Office of Management and Budget had unconstitutionally frozen funds for six projects approved by Congress, causing chaos across schools nationwide. The lawsuit demanded that the Rhode Island federal judge order the release of these funds, which were supposed to be distributed on July 1st.
It is reported that this funding was intended to cover free or low-cost after-school activities.
On June 30th, the U.S. Department of Education notified state education agencies that it would withhold this money during its review process. (Cao Jian)