New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today secured an agreement requiring the Trump Administration to release on time the full balance of remaining education funding that was previously frozen unlawfully by the Administration. Last month, Attorney General Platkin joined a coalition 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 was set to start. The agreement secured today, on the eve of the start of a new school year, will require the release of the remaining funding owed to New Jersey by no later than October 3, 2025.
In New Jersey, over $158 million in federal education funding was frozen, jeopardizing key programs for after school and summer learning, teacher preparation, and to support students learning English. Days later, the Trump Administration released the first tranche of funding that had previously been withheld. The multistate coalition and the Trump Administration today jointly filed to dismiss the case under the terms of an agreement that ensures the remaining funding is released on time, providing New Jersey and the multistate coalition with the full relief they had sought in the lawsuit.
“From the beginning, we made clear that the Trump Administration’s freeze of funding for after-school programs, children with special needs, and other critical programs was blatantly illegal. In resolving this lawsuit today, we are proud to fully restore this funding and deliver a quick and favorable resolution for our state ahead of the start of the 2025-2026 school year” said Attorney General Platkin. “We will always stand up for students, families, and educators across New Jersey, and we will never let this Administration get away with clawing critical federal funding away from our best-in-the-nation education system.”
BACKGROUND
On June 30, the Trump Administration abruptly and unlawfully froze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just two months before the school year in many parts of New Jersey was set to start.
For decades, New Jersey and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for students with special learning needs and English language learners; summer school and afterschool programs for students; programs that train teachers and promote effective classroom instruction; community learning centers that offer students a broad range of opportunities for academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts.
On July 14, Attorney General Platkin joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states in filing a lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing that the freeze violates federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the U.S. Constitution, including the separation of powers doctrine.
On August 1, New Jersey received notice from the U.S. Department of Education that it would begin releasing previously frozen federal funds for the current federal and education fiscal year. New Jersey subsequently received Grant Award Notifications confirming that the entirety of the funds that the U.S. Department of Education was required to make available to the states on July 1 had been released.
