Colorado joins 20 states in lawsuit to block Trump administration’s ‘dismantling’ of Department of Education

COLORADO (KRDO) – Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has joined 20 other state attorneys general in suing the Trump administration to stop what they say is an "illegal dismantling" of the U.S. Department of Education.

The move comes days after the administration announced on March 11 that it would fire approximately half of the Department of Education's workforce as part of its goal to completely shut down the department.

The lawsuit – filed Thursday in a federal Massachusetts court – asks a judge to pause the mass firings effective immediately, alleging the cuts will prevent the department from carrying out its essential functions.

"Far from being just a “first step,” the lay-offs are an effective dismantling of the Department," the lawsuit reads in part.

The attorneys general claim that the twenty states and the District of Columbia involved in the case would experience irreparable harm if the Department is gutted, and that cuts would do significant damage to their education systems.

The federal department plays a crucial role in connecting students with the services they're legally entitled to, such as providing schools with funding for special education programs and ensuring college students have access to federal student loans.

The department also houses the Office for Civil Rights, which works to protect students from discrimination and sexual assault and ensure equal access to education.

In a release, AG Weiser said the suit seeks to " stop the targeted destruction of this federal agency that ensures tens of millions of students receive a quality education and critical resources."

"Coloradans rely on funding and support from the Department of Education for a range of programs, including for special education, student loan services, and rural teacher training," Weiser said. "This evisceration of the agency will harm Coloradans, undermine our education system, and create chaos. And it is plainly unconstitutional, as only Congress can lawfully dismantle the department that it created or shut down services it has required the federal government to fund."

The attorneys general argue that the administration's actions are unconstitutional, with the lawsuit asserting that the executive branch "does not have the legal authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle it without an act of Congress," Weiser said.

According to Weiser, dismantling the department would have devastating effects here in Colorado, a state that received over $1.2 billion in federal funding for school programs in the 2024 fiscal year.

Nationwide, Department of Education programs serve nearly 18,200 school districts and over 50 million K-12 students across the nation, while its higher education programs support over 12 million postsecondary students annually.

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