Attorney General Ford Sues Trump Administration to Stop Dismantling of Department of Education and Protect Nevada Students

Las Vegas, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration to stop the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE). On March 11, the Trump administration announced that the DOE would be firing approximately 50% of its workforce as part of its goal of a “total shutdown” of the Department. AG Ford and the coalition filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the targeted destruction of this critical federal agency that ensures tens of millions of students receive a quality education and critical resources.

“I was a public school math teacher, and I’m the father of three sons who attended Nevada’s public schools. I know firsthand what happens when politicians play games with education — our kids pay the price,” said AG Ford. “Gutting the Department of Education isn’t just unlawful; it’s an attack on Nevada’s students, especially those who rely on special education services or come from low-income families. You can’t take a hatchet to half the workforce and expect the department to function. You can’t rip away resources and expect kids to succeed. And you certainly can’t do those things without following the law. This plan is unconstitutional. It’s illegal. It’s dangerously reckless. And I will do everything in my power to stop it.”

The DOE’s programs serve nearly 18,200 school districts and over 50 million K-12 students attending roughly 98,000 public schools and 32,000 private schools throughout the country. Its higher education programs provide services and support to more than 12 million postsecondary students annually. Students with disabilities and students from low-income families are some of the primary beneficiaries of DOE services and funding. Federal DOE funds for special education include support for assistive technology for students with disabilities; teacher salaries and benefits; transportation to help children receive the services and programming they need; physical therapy and speech therapy services; and social workers to help manage students’ educational experience. The DOE also supports students in rural communities by offering programs designed to help rural school districts that often lack the personnel and resources needed to compete for competitive grants.

As AG Ford and the coalition assert in the lawsuit, dismantling the DOE will have devastating effects for states like Nevada. The administration’s lay-off is so massive that the DOE will be incapacitated and unable to perform essential functions. As the lawsuit asserts, the administration’s actions will deprive students with special needs of critical resources and support. They will gut the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights, which protects students from discrimination and sexual assault. They would additionally hamstring the processing of financial aid, raising costs for college and university students who will have a harder time accessing loans, Pell Grants and work study programs.

With this lawsuit, AG Ford and the coalition are seeking a court order to stop the administration’s policies to dismantle the DOE by drastically cutting its workforce and programs. AG Ford and the coalition argue that the administration’s actions to dismantle the DOE are illegal and unconstitutional. The Department is an executive agency authorized by Congress, with numerous different laws creating its various programs and funding streams. The coalition’s lawsuit asserts that the Executive Branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle it without an act of Congress.

Joining AG Ford in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

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