New Mexico AG joins lawsuit against White House over education funding

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez says critical programs for our children are under threat by the White House.

He’s joining 21 other attorneys general across the country to sue the Trump administration, and he’s calling on everyone, no matter who they vote for, to help.

On June 30, the Trump administration sent schools across the country a message that it was withholding nearly $7 billion in funding.

Torrez says New Mexico was set to receive $45 million. The AG and school leaders say without that funding, after school programs, English as a second language programs, and summer school programs will likely shut down. 

“When those programs go away, what happens to those kids? What happens to the kids who no longer have high quality educational support in the summer? All of that impacts their ability to succeed in the education system, and makes them far more likely to end up in the criminal justice system,” said Torrez. 

The money was supposed to start going out July 1. Raton schools superintendent says they’re having to make some hard choices with school set to start in just a few weeks.

“Our team is taking a look at the numbers and trying to prioritize, and look at the programs we’ll have to probably, inevitably cut,” said Kristie Medina, superintendent of Raton Public Schools. 

The Trump administration says the funds were withheld for a review of the programs to see if they are consistent with the president’s priorities.

“What we have done is we’ve taken thousands of families across this state, and millions of families across the country, and what they thought they understood has gone out the window,” Torrez said. 

The suit filed on Monday seeks to force the Trump administration to hand over the money. 

All the AGs participating are Democrats, but Torrez says this should not be a partisan issue.

“What I need are people who supported the president, who voted for the president, who do not agree with this to say, ‘This matters to us. This isn’t what we voted for,’” said Torrez.