A lawsuit by a coalition co-led by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has unlocked about $29 million in frozen federal education money for the state.
Twenty-three Democratic attorneys general and two governors joined the suit after the Trump administration froze at the end of June almost $7 billion in funding for programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
Neronha announced Tuesday that the money will be released by Oct. 3 under an agreement with the White House.
“When we fight back against this administration, we win,” he said in a statement. “Because of our lawsuit and immense public pressure, billions in critical education funding will rightfully be restored to fund a wide range of important educational programs, without which the growth and enrichment of our young people would be stifled.”
Neronha said Rhode Island and other states have used these funds for decades to support an array of education programs, including efforts to help immigrants and English language learners, improve school conditions and promote technology, and adult education and workforce development.
President Trump has generally described his approach as part of an effort to cut wasteful federal spending and to counter what his administration calls a reliance on “woke ideology.”
The lawsuit argued the funding freeze was arbitrary and unconstitutional, in part because Congress had already approved the spending.
The case is one of many in which Neronha has joined with fellow state prosecutors from around the nation to challenge actions by the Trump administration.
“We will continue to hold this administration accountable,” he said,
“and we do so with the overwhelming support of everyday Americans who stand with us in fighting for what’s right. We have built the biggest and best law firm in the country, and we go to work every day for one client: the American people.”
