Fifteen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to stop planned cuts to a federal program that provides funding for mental health services in schools.
The legal challenge is the latest development in a dispute between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department of Education over the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program, a $1 billion initiative created by Congress to help schools hire and train mental health professionals.
The states argue that the administration is attempting to end the grants despite a previous court order blocking the funding cuts. They say terminating the program would result in millions of dollars in lost support for school districts nationwide.
The program was expanded after Congress approved additional funding following a series of school shootings, including the 2022 attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers. The funding was designed to address the nationwide shortage of school counselors, psychologists and other mental health professionals.
Support for the program was initially bipartisan, with lawmakers from both parties backing efforts to increase mental health resources in schools. Within its first year, the grants helped provide mental and behavioral health services to hundreds of thousands of students across the country.
The Education Department moved in 2025 to halt the funding, arguing that some grant programs conflicted with the Trump administration’s priorities. Officials cited concerns about programs they believed were connected to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
A group of state attorneys general previously challenged the decision, and a court ordered the administration to stop efforts to discontinue the grants. The states involved in the new lawsuit say additional legal action is needed because the administration continues to pursue ways to end the funding.
Officials from the states involved argue that the federal government does not have the authority to withdraw approved grant funding that supports student mental health services.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
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