Federal Judges Rule Trump Administration's Education Funding Maneuvers Illegal

On Thursday, two federal judges in separate cases ruled that the Trump administration's Department of Education unlawfully canceled teacher-preparation grants and imposed new funding conditions for education research. The rulings reversed efforts to assert executive authority over federal spending, adding to a series of legal setbacks to the administration's education agenda. Judge Kelley barred the department from using executive orders to reject grant applications based on criteria Congress required the agency to promote. Judge Burroughs struck down an Office of Management and Budget apportionment footnote that tied education research funding to compliance with an anti-DEI executive order.