A coalition of 16 Democrat-led states, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Education Department’s termination of around $1 billion in mental health funding for schools, alleging the cuts are unlawful, unconstitutional, and ideologically driven.
The complaint, filed June 30 in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges that the Education Department unlawfully terminated grants under the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program (MHSP) and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program (SBMH). The states argue the cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act and are unconstitutional because they override Congress’s directive to ensure equitable access to education.
