Summary
Democratic attorneys general from over 20 states, led by New York’s Letitia James, sued the Trump administration over deep cuts to the Department of Education.
The agency laid off 1,300 employees, reducing its workforce by half. The lawsuit argues these cuts harm students, particularly low-income and special-needs students, and impede civil rights enforcement and financial aid processing.
Trump wants to dismantle the department entirely.
The suit, filed in Massachusetts, claims the cuts are unconstitutional since Congress authorized the department’s programs and funding.
This is a favorite tactic of the GOP.
Get elected, then pass laws that they know will be challenged in court.
Because they are the state, they have unlimited funds to drag out the fight.
Meanwhile, the people fighting them have to waste time and money that could be spent on better causes.
[yes, I know that the AGs are getting money from their states, but the principle stands.]
And it drags the Overton window right
The CR Congress is about to pass “solves” the issue. The CR authorizes the President to begin sequestration. The CR also states that if the President fires someone under sequestration then Congress is completely cool with it, no need to ask any more questions, and the budget automatically adjusts to match the President’s change. And the President can sequester to whatever value the President likes as long as it’s a downward direction.
So this law will render a lot of these cases moot. It’ll mostly be court cases over the sequestration process after this inevitably passes. But today’s vote in the Senate, once passed, will hand the power to determine funding to each agency over to the President. Adding yet another power Congress has handed to the President.
Sue the coup!
