The Washington state attorney general has joined 20 other Democrats in a lawsuit attempting to block President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education.
State Attorney General Nick Brown announced Monday that he has joined 20 other Attorney Generals by filing a preliminary injunction motion against the Trump administration. The interim injunction temporarily suspends the president's March 20 executive order and eliminates the DOE.
The other 20 states filed lawsuits on March 13 attempting to block efforts to close the DOE after plans were announced to eliminate half of the department's workforce.
Dem AGS sues layoffs for Trump administration's Department of Education
Washington has joined 20 other states in a lawsuit blocking President Donald Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. (Getty Images)
The latest lawsuit attempts to stop the layoffs and moves to relocate student loans and special education services to keep student loans and special education services away from DOE as Trump works to keep liability away from DOE.
For example, Trump last week announced that small business managers would be processing student loans as part of the plan.
“The devastating cuts and layoffs from the Department of Education will directly hurt the youth and their families in Washington,” Brown said in a statement. “Our office will fight to protect students' education and health from President Trump's illegal orders.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon praises the department for taking steps to eliminate “bureaucratic bloat.”
US Education Headquarters Building in Washington, DC (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
Layoffs in the department have already led to the closure of civil rights outreach services nationwide, investigating student discrimination and sexual assault allegations. Federal funding and approval for state schools are also delayed, according to Brown's office.
The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration's executive order is illegal and efforts to dismantle the DOE can only be approved by Congress. GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation to remove the department, but this effort has not yet been approved in either room on Capitol Hill.
“The devastating cuts and layoffs from the Department of Education will directly hurt the youth and their families in Washington,” said Washington AG Nick Brown. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
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The lawsuit from the Attorney General also argues that the large-scale layoffs violate the Administrative Procedure Act, establishing procedures for how federal administrative agencies propose and issue regulations.
