Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Penn., is challenging President Donald Trump's Department of Education for allegedly revoking $185 million in pandemic-era education funding for Pennsylvania. (AP Images)
Shapiro said the $185 million in federal funding "owed to Pennsylvania" supports academic and mental health programs, implements and modernizes new technology and provides infrastructure improvements in schools.
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The Pennsylvania governor argued that school districts and education agencies have already spent the allocated money, so canceling $185 million forces Pennsylvania taxpayers to pick up the tab on projects already underway.
The complaint is co-signed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C.
The state leaders claim the Department of Education could not rescind their federal funding due to the "end of the pandemic," because the pandemic had already ended when the funding extension was granted, and they argue they were not limited to COVID-19 specific programs.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Shapiro has relied on the judicial system during Trump's second term to unlock federal funding for Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania governor joined 22 states and Washington, D.C., in a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services for canceling public health grants that prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
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Shapiro also sued the Trump administration on Feb. 13, challenging Trump's allegedly "illegal" federal funding freeze. Soon after, Shapiro celebrated that $2.1 billion in federal funds had been unfrozen and restored to Pennsylvania following his lawsuit and direct confrontation with the Trump administration.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/shapiro-leads-lawsuit-against-trump-admin-pulling-covid-era-school-funding