On June 30, 2026, a coalition of disability and education organizations sued the the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) over its withholding of almost $2B in USDE funds that were appropriated by Congress for education research, data collection, program evaluation, and assistance to states and school The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts districts, alleges that the failure of the USDE’s Institute of Education Sciences and OMB to provide funding for grants and contracts violates the Administrative Procedures Act, the Antideficiency Act and the constitutional separation of powers.
It is the contention of the plaintiffs and many within the education community that the withholding or failure to “apportion” those funds will impact all students, including those with disabilities, as researchers, schools, and families have less access to research-based guidance and information for effective practices. Thus, the plaintiffs are asking the court to ensure that congressionally appropriated funds are made available for spending. The lawsuit also challenges a federal grantmaking process that requires competitive grants to comply with certain Trump administration priorities, including an executive order to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in federal activities and spending, which is in contradiction to the congressionally mandated requirement within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide for a student’s inclusion in general education classrooms through providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.