Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has successfully obtained a court order mandating the Trump administration to reinstate states' access to crucial Department of Education programs. These programs support low-income and unhoused students and provide funding for services addressing the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students.
"The unlawful cuts the Trump administration has tried to impose on the DOE would be devastating to Nevada’s children,” stated AG Ford. “I am thrilled that the courts have agreed and frozen these cuts as our case continues. While we fight against this unlawful action, our children will not be kept from the resources they need.”
On April 10, AG Ford joined a coalition of 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The suit challenges the unilateral termination of access to over $1 billion in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which were initially accessible through March 2026 according to prior DOE determinations. Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a preliminary injunction requiring immediate restoration of states' access to these funds.
ARPA funded three education-related programs: Homeless Children and Youth (HCY), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS). These initiatives are designed to help schools and students recover from pandemic impacts by directing more resources towards vulnerable populations.
AG Ford, along with his coalition, argued that cutting off these funds creates an unexpected budget gap detrimental to students and teachers by removing essential educational services.
Judge Ramos's order prevents enforcement of a March 28, 2025 letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon that rescinded states' access to ARPA funding. This decision temporarily halts any actions blocking states' access while legal proceedings continue.
The lawsuit includes participation from attorneys general representing Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington D.C., alongside Pennsylvania's governor.