More Trump cuts blocked by judge

Once again, a Donald Trump cut to the budget is being blocked.  

This time, the culprit is Judge Myong Joun, who you will be shocked to learn was appointed by Joe Biden.  

Trump was hoping to trim $600 million from the Department of Education, but that is going to have to be put on hold for a moment.  

Just Wait a Second 

Trump has made it clear he wants to dissolve the Department of Education, which has been a quest of Republicans since the Ronald Reagan era.  

The administration recently announced it was going to trim program funding by about $600 million, which eight states are challenging. As this case progresses, more states will likely join.  

The plaintiffs in the case argue that the funding cut has abruptly ended programs not related to Trump’s DEI quest but directly related to teacher retention and preparing teachers for certain key subject areas, such as math and science.  

However, the administration is arguing that the TRO is unnecessary since the funds would be unfrozen if the plaintiffs are successful in their case.  

Judge Joun has slammed the brakes on the cuts.  

Joun’s ruling claimed that administrative laws were violated because the administration did not offer any explanation. The cuts would also put several states at risk in terms of having enough teachers for classes, as they are already facing shortages and canceling training programs because of the cuts. 

His ruling, in part, stated, “The record shows that if I were to deny the TRO, dozens of programs upon which public schools, public universities, students, teachers, and faculty rely will be gutted.” 

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell took a victory lap on the temporary win, stating that the ruling was “a victory for our students, teachers, and school districts, restoring funds to programs designed to address the ongoing teacher shortage in the Commonwealth, including those serving vulnerable students with special needs.” 

When Trump was asked about ending the DoE, he and his staffers repeatedly said they would not cut funding to key programs but rather send the earmarked funding to the states to run them.  

Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin are all listed as plaintiffs in the case.  

As I stated above, I fully expect more blue states to join the lawsuit to go after Trump for this funding.