WASHINGTON, DC – This week, all 23 Democratic attorneys general and two Democratic governors sued the Trump administration for illegally withholding crucial funds to public schools in their respective states. The lawsuit argues that freezing the funds will threaten vital public education programs and that the administration violated the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. 

“‘We firmly believe that all children deserve access to a high-quality education that meets their individual needs,’” Andrea Campbell told MassLive in a news conference. “‘And let me be clear, if this latest federal action goes unchecked, our students, our families, our schools and our communities will absolutely suffer.’” 

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined ABC News to discuss the harms the Trump administration’s decision will cause and how it would specifically impact North Carolinians.  

Key highlights:   

• “We’re talking about roughly $170 million [cut off] to North Carolina. We estimate this could result in weighing off roughly 1,000 educators, and that’s happening just a few weeks before 1.5 million kids go back to school.”
• “So, in North Carolina, these funds heavily go towards after school programs, particularly for at risk youth. It’s over 10,000 kids that participate in those programs, but also STEM education, mental health services, suicide prevention, adult literacy classes. It’s a long list.”

• “We got a three-sentence email along with the rest of the country that included basically no detail and said these funds would now be frozen until further notice. And since then, the Department of Education has been unwilling to answer any of our questions.”

• “The most heavily impacted counties in our state are going to be our rural counties… we estimate that the cut per student will be $300 to $400. That is a huge chunk.”

• “North Carolina has a famous teacher shortage at this point...This would be a shock to the system in what is already an extremely fragile condition.”

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