ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES BLOCK OF DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CUTS TO FEDERAL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES BLOCK OF DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CUTS TO FEDERAL MENTAL HEALTH GRANTS

October 28, 2025

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from illegally cutting some congressionally approved funding for K-12 mental health programs. He and a coalition of 16 state attorneys general filed suit in June, alleging Department of Education funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the U.S. Constitution.

On Oct. 21, U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly Evanson rejected the U.S. Department of Education's motion to dismiss the case. In a preliminary injunction issued Monday, she said the department appears to have acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, violating the Administrative Procedure Act. Evanson limited her injunction to grantees that had submitted declarations to the court explaining how they'd been harmed by the cuts.

"This preliminary injunction means that vital congressionally approved funding will not be blocked at the expense of Illinois students' mental health," Raoul said. "Student mental health programs are essential to the growth and mental well-being to children in Illinois and across the country. I will continue to oppose illegal actions that directly impact our communities."

Raoul explained that the attempted cuts targeted a bipartisan act of Congress that appropriated $1 billion for mental health supports in schools after the tragic deaths of 19 students and two teachers during a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. During the first year of funding, grantees served nearly 775,000 students and hired nearly 1,300 school mental health professionals, according to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). NASP also found a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, decreases in absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increases in positive student-staff engagement based on data from sampled programs.

Joining Raoul in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.