MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin has joined a new lawsuit to prevent the Trump Administration from cutting federal funding for Wisconsin public schools. The lawsuit aims to protect the more than half a billion dollars Wisconsin receives each year from the U.S. Department of Education after the Trump Administration attempted to put new, unlawful conditions on federal funding beyond what is required by the U.S. Congress under threat of cuts to public schools in Wisconsin and across America.
The move is just the latest by Gov. Evers, a former teacher, principal, superintendent, and state superintendent, to fight against the Trump Administration’s attacks on kids, families, and public schools across Wisconsin, including the administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and gut funding designed to address teacher shortages and enhance teacher quality to help improve student outcomes.
“President Trump and the Trump Administration want to cut funding for public education at every level—including trying to dismantle the Department of Education—to help pay for tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. I will fight against every effort by President Trump and the Trump Administration to gut funding for our kids and schools. Period,” said Gov. Evers. “Wisconsin’s kids and our public schools depend on investments we receive from the federal government. The Trump Administration’s attempts to cut public school funding would be devastating for our kids, making it harder to improve outcomes, keep class sizes small, retain and recruit talented educators, and ensure local school doors stay open. At a time when public schools across Wisconsin have been forced to go to referendum in record numbers due to years of legislative Republicans’ disinvestment, our kids and our schools simply cannot afford the Trump Administration’s reckless cuts and guts. We’re suing to fight back and stop these dangerous cuts before they happen.”
Each year, the U.S. Department of Education provides billions of dollars in federal funding to states that is approved and mandated by the U.S. Congress to ensure students from low-income families have the same access to high-quality education as their peers, provide special education services and accommodations, recruit and train highly skilled and dedicated teachers, and provide support to vulnerable children in foster care and without housing. In order to receive federal funding, state and local school officials routinely provide written assurances they will comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin as a condition of receiving this financial aid. Despite states abiding by these statutory obligations and having provided these assurances to the federal government, the Trump Administration has threatened to cut more than $13.8 billion in federal funding—including more than half a billion dollars, over $550 million, that Wisconsin receives each year—by imposing unlawful conditions beyond what is already required under federal law and making federal funding contingent on meeting those unlawful conditions.
The lawsuit Gov. Evers announced today seeks to prevent the Trump Administration from cutting funding for Wisconsin’s public schools. The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the Trump Administration’s attempt to impose new conditions beyond what is required by the U.S. Congress is unlawful and prohibit the administration from trying to enforce these unlawful requirements against Wisconsin and other states by cutting public school funding.
Further, the lawsuit argues that the Trump Administration’s attempts to cut public school funding already approved by the U.S. Congress violate constitutional checks and balances and represent yet another attempt by President Donald J. Trump, Elon Musk, and the Trump Administration to give themselves sole power to make decisions unchecked and without Congressional approval.
Gov. Evers has repeatedly slammed the Trump Administration for its ongoing attacks on constitutional checks and balances, including trying to singlehandedly dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and has urged Republicans in Congress to stand up against the Trump Administration’s reckless attempts to undermine Congress and legislative authority.
“It is unconscionable that Republicans in Congress—including Wisconsin’s own delegation—are abdicating their constitutional duties and responsibilities by doing and saying nothing to stop the Trump Administration’s efforts to undermine our constitutional checks and balances,” said Gov. Evers. “Wisconsinites want checks and balances in our system to make sure no one has the sole power to make decisions like this unchecked. I will continue to fight against every effort by the Trump Administration to hurt our kids, our families, and our schools, and I will continue to urge our Republican members of Congress to get it together and join me in this important fight.”
A copy of the lawsuit filing is available here.
