Connecticut has joined 25 other states in suing the Trump Administration for freezing more than $6 billion for after-school and summer programs.
The Trump Administration froze the money on July 1st. That deprived Connecticut schools of over $50 million and forced some summer programs to lay off staff.
“They are going to cut the legs out from under Connecticut families right now. This is happening today. That’s why we are stepping into court to stop them. That's why we’ve got to sue,” state Attorney General William Tong said at a news briefing outside his office on Monday.
He said the move is unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary and blocks money Congress has regularly appropriated for decades.
“Article 1, Section 8, Congress shall have the power to spend money. It’s done. It exercised that authority. The president doesn’t have that authority. I can tell you that Linda McMahon certainly does have that authority not to cut those checks,” Tong said.
McMahon, a Connecticut resident, is the U.S. Education Secretary.
The funding freeze has thrown plans into chaos for the upcoming academic year, according to state officials.
The officials said school districts already include the money in their budgets for computers, after-school programs, English language instruction, and other programs.
