Push to Freeze the Cuts
Attorneys for the Illinois advocates are asking judges to temporarily block the funding cuts, arguing the move was unlawful and executed without proper process. Government lawyers countered that the Department of Education has already reassigned the funds to other grantees.
Illinois organizations were notified on Dec. 12 that their annual grants — totaling $18.5 million — would not be renewed for 2026, 2027 or 2028, despite earlier plans indicating continued funding.
A federal spokesperson said diversity and equity concerns drove the decision. Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education, said many programs “use overt race preferences or perpetuate divisive concepts and stereotypes, which no student should be exposed to.”
Advocates Reject Federal Rationale
Education leaders in Illinois sharply disputed that explanation.
“These funds are going into communities that for generations have been denied access and opportunities because of racism,” said Monique Redeaux-Smith of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. She said the use of civil rights language to justify the cuts to Black and brown communities was particularly troubling.
Appeals by Illinois grant administrators were denied by the Department of Education, pushing the dispute into the courts. Two lawsuits were filed this week.
One, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., was brought by the American Federation of Teachers and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. The second was filed the same day in U.S. District Court in Chicago by Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) and Metropolitan Family Services.
“There’s a process to do it,” said Patrick Brosnan, executive director of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. “They refuse to follow any process because they think they can just change the rules whenever they want. That’s not how it works in a democracy. These are congressionally appropriated funds.”
