New Mexico AG Ra煤l Torrez on April 11, 2025 announced the state had joined another lawsuit against the Trump administration, this time over the U.S. Department of Education's revocation of funds.
New Mexico Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez on Friday announced the state has joined a coalition of 15 other AGs, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Democrat Josh Shapiro in a lawsuit over a recent U.S. Department of Education cancellation of funds for three programs funded through the American Rescue Act to help vulnerable school children recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic: the ; ; and programs.
性视界传媒淐utting critical funding that students and schools are counting on is unacceptable and reckless,性视界传媒 Torrez said in a statement. 性视界传媒淭hese cuts will have a detrimental effect on our children, stunting their ability to learn in the classroom by rendering schools unable to provide essential resources like food, classroom supplies, special education for teachers and more.性视界传媒
The lawsuit notes that the U.S. Department of Education in late 2023 and early 2024, 性视界传媒long after the federal government had declared that the COVID-19 pandemic was over,性视界传媒 had given the plaintiff states extensions to use the money they had been awarded to combat the pandemic性视界传媒檚 impact on vulnerable student populations.
On March 28, 性视界传媒with no advance notice or warning,性视界传媒 U.S Education Secretary Linda McMahon rescinded that extension, effective the end of the day.
性视界传媒淓D性视界传媒檚 drastic and abrupt change in position triggered chaos for state education departments性视界传媒nd local school districts,性视界传媒 the complaint says. 性视界传媒淚f the rescission action is not vacated and the approved extensions are not reinstated, key programs and services that address ongoing聽 and emerging education needs of Plaintiffs性视界传媒 students and local school districts to combat the long term effects of the pandemic will have to be dissolved or disbanded.性视界传媒
The suit asks for the court to find that the federal education department性视界传媒檚 rescission of funds violates the American Rescue Act, and to restate the original extension date of聽 March 28, 2026.
New Mexico, as of the date the federal education department cancelled the extension of the funds, still had about $778,000 unliquidated funds of the $6.4 million it received under HYC;聽$12.3 million of the $979.7 million it received under ESSER; and approximately $4.79 million of the $17.4 million it received under EANS.
