Minnesota sues Trump administration over threat to withhold funding from schools
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Minnesota joined a 19-state coalition on Friday to sue the Trump administration for threatening to withhold federal funding from K-12 schools tied to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The suit challenges a federal directive issued earlier this month telling states they risked losing federal funding unless they certified they’d eliminated DEI programs in K-12 schools.
“Not only are these threats to withhold funding in violation of the law, they’re in violation of what we value here in Minnesota and the ideals of this country and what we strive for every day,” Attorney General Keith Ellison told reporters.
The lawsuit claims the Trump administration’s order to end DEI programs are a “vague, confusing, and incorrect interpretation of Title VI” and that by threatening to withhold funding, the administration has “acted to unlawfully imperil more than $13.8 billion that are spent to educate our youth.”
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The states argued they already follow longstanding federal requirements to certify they are in compliance with Civil Rights law.
Earlier on Friday, a federal judge ruled on a different lawsuit from the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. That lawsuit blocked the Trump administration’s directives threatening to cut funding for public schools with DEI programs.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said this new multistate lawsuit goes further than the NEA and ACLU suit. “We also, as states, have a separate strong and unique interest in ensuring that these billions of dollars in congressionally mandated education funds continue to flow to our state and our local education agencies.”
According to Ellison’s office, at least $530 million in federal education funding is at stake in Minnesota.
The state Department of Education says Minnesota has not yet received its federal fiscal year 2025 allocation, which was congressionally approved in March.
“We have heard that federal program officers do not yet have the information from OMB to move forward,” a state Education Department spokesperson said, adding the instability and uncertainty harms schools ability to plan budgets and serve students.