TRENTON, N.J. — The COVID-19 pandemic is over, but New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wants the pandemic checks from the federal government to keep coming.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration, joining a multistate coalition in response to a U.S. Department of Education directive that cuts off access to pandemic-era education funds. The move threatens $85 million earmarked for New Jersey schools.
We have lost count, but at last count, since Trump took office initially in 2016, the Murphy administration has filed over 20 lawsuits against the President and his administration.
Key Points
- AG Platkin joined 15 other attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in filing suit over revoked ARPA education funding.
- The U.S. Department of Education abruptly ended states’ access to funds previously available through March 2026.
- Platkin calls the decision “cruel and illegal,” citing major disruptions to school budgets and student services.
Lawsuit targets sudden cutoff of COVID-19 relief funds
The complaint, filed Thursday, challenges a March 28 directive from the U.S. Department of Education that rescinded access to hundreds of millions in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. These grants were originally intended to support K-12 education recovery efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attorney General Platkin said the funding loss is already impacting New Jersey’s most vulnerable students, disrupting budgeted programs and infrastructure projects. “Cutting off funding to some of the most vulnerable students in our state… is cruel and illegal,” Platkin said in a public statement.
States seek reversal through court order
The lawsuit argues that the federal agency’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act by reversing an earlier position without adequate explanation or notice. The funding was expected to remain available through March 2026 under original guidelines.
According to the complaint, school districts had already allocated the ARPA grants, entered contracts, and planned projects in good faith. “The school districts… have created budgets, entered into contracts, purchased raw materials, and developed project plans,” said New Jersey Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer.
Multistate coalition pushes back
The legal action is supported by attorneys general from 15 other states including California, Illinois, New York, and Oregon, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania. The coalition is asking the court for both a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the Education Department from enforcing its revised directive.
The ARPA grants had been designated to support recovery from learning loss, expand educational services for vulnerable populations, and improve school infrastructure post-pandemic.
Platkin joins growing legal effort to reverse federal cutoff of COVID-19 education funds impacting millions of students.