The Trump administration on Wednesday petitioned the Supreme Court to approve cuts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher training funds.
A federal judge in Boston had temporarily blocked the cuts, citing their immediate impact on programs designed to address the nation’s ongoing teacher shortage. An appeals court later denied the administration’s request to lift the block.
Now, the administration is asking the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing that multiple federal court rulings are improperly forcing it to continue paying millions in grant money. The justices have requested a response to the appeal by Friday, according to an AP report.
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The case follows a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in response to a lawsuit from eight Democratic-led states. The states contend that the cuts are politically motivated, driven by the Trump administration’s broader efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
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President Trump has already signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education and begun eliminating various programs deemed “woke” or wasteful. His administration has also voided numerous contracts as part of an agency-wide overhaul.
“So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement,” acting Solicitor General Sarah M. Harris wrote in the administration’s filing.
The Justice Department has also filed four other emergency appeals against court rulings that have temporarily halted parts of Trump’s agenda.
The Supreme Court has yet to decide on another major appeal seeking to narrow court orders that have blocked the administration’s push to restrict birthright citizenship. A separate appeal regarding a court mandate to rehire thousands of federal employees is also pending. Previously, the justices declined to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s removal of a federal watchdog agency head. However, a lower court later ruled in favor of the administration, ultimately ousting Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger.
At the center of the teacher training dispute are two federal programs—the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development—which provide over $600 million in grants for educator preparation, particularly in high-demand fields like math, science, and special education. The states argue that data proves these initiatives have improved teacher retention rates and kept educators in the profession for more than five years.
The Trump administration abruptly halted funding for these programs in February without prior notice. It maintains that states could temporarily use their own budgets to sustain them.
Judge Joun, a Biden appointee, ruled that the funding cancellations likely violated federal law, which requires a clear justification for major cost-cutting decisions. An appellate panel, composed entirely of judges nominated by Democratic presidents, later upheld his ruling and rejected the administration’s request to proceed with the cuts.
California is leading the lawsuit, joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin.
If granted, the administration’s request to the Supreme Court would allow the funding cuts to take effect while the legal battle continues.
