Attorney General Tong Announces Court Order to Unwind Trump Administration Unlawful Cancellation of School Mental Health Grants

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12/22/2025

Attorney General Tong Announces Court Order to Unwind Trump Administration Unlawful Cancellation of School Mental Health Grants

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong announced today that a federal judge found that the U.S. Department of Education acted unlawfully by abruptly discontinuing previously approved grants to fund mental health professionals in K-12 schools following a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Tong and 15 other attorneys general.

The states successfully argued that the department acted illegally when it told grantees it would discontinue the mental health program grants because they conflicted with the Trump administration’s new priorities. U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly Evanson of the Western District of Washington granted the states’ summary judgment motion and ordered the two sides to meet and agree on a timeline for the department to make lawful continuation decisions.

“Trump lawlessly took this money from Connecticut kids in need. He had zero right to override Congress. We sued, we won, and the court has ordered Trump to follow the law and release these funds through a legitimate and rational process,” said Attorney General Tong.

In the wake of devastating school shootings, members of Congress from both parties came together to appropriate $1 billion to permanently bring 14,000 mental health professionals into U.S. schools most in need, especially in low-income and rural communities. The programs have been a success, providing mental and behavioral health services to nearly 775,000 K-12 students nationwide in the first year and reducing wait times for students to receive help. In Connecticut, these cuts impacted more than $3 million to support social workers in Hartford, New Britain, Vernon and Waterbury schools through 2029.

The Department of Education awarded grants spanning a five-year project period, with yearly decisions made on whether to continue each grant’s funding. As required by its regulations, the department considered the grantee’s performance when deciding whether to continue funding.

But on April 29, the Department of Education abruptly sent boilerplate notices to grantees saying their grants no longer aligned with the Trump administration’s priorities and would be discontinued. On June 30, the states filed a lawsuit challenging that action, saying the department’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

Judge Evanson agreed with the plaintiff states that the department violated the APA.

“Nothing in the existing regulatory scheme comports with the Department’s view that multi-year grants may be discontinued whenever the political will to do so arises,” Evanson wrote.

Her order comes after a three-judge Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel earlier this month rejected the Department of Education’s request for a stay of Evanson’s preliminary injunction issued in October. The judges said the department failed in its arguments that the district court lacked jurisdiction in the case.

Joining Attorney General Tong in filing the lawsuit, which was led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, were the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
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