North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson released the video below on New Year’s Eve to announced that he’s filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Department of Education, which recently told the State that it’s cutting $50 million in education funding that, according to Jackson, “mainly goes to rural schools.”
Jackson said it was “a surprise cut” and that “these schools were given almost no notice.” He reported that the cut goes into effect on January 1, 2026, which of course is the middle of the academic school year.
Breaking: We’re going to court to keep the Dept of Ed from cutting $50m in education funding from our state – mainly hitting rural schools.
It’s unlawful, and our students deserve better.
Here’s the situation: pic.twitter.com/8rowoW7J8g
— Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) December 31, 2025
Jackson said the Education Department had previously approved the spending, which was going toward “literacy programs and after-school programs, college and career prep,” and the schools had hired staff based on that approval. The AG says the money was already serving more than 20,000 students, again “mainly in rural counties,” many of which were impacted by Hurricane Helene.
[Note: Hurricane Helene devastated several states in September 2024, and killed more than 100 North Carolinians. In May, President Trump’s FEMA denied North Carolina Governor Josh Stein’s appeal to extend 100-percent cost reimbursement for debris removal related to Hurricane Helene recovery. In its denial letter, FEMA referred to Helene not as a Hurricane but a “tropical storm.”]
Jackson said the Department of Education “basically gave no reason for these cuts. It’s not alleging any kind of fraud, any kind of misuse, it’s just saying it’s all gonna come to a halt in the middle of the school year.” Jackson asserts that it’s not only wrong, but it’s also illegal, hence the lawsuit.
Note: On Monday, Jackson won his $17 million lawsuit against FEMA, which tried to withhold Congress-approved funding for North Carolina emergency responders and law enforcement officers who respond to hurricanes, natural disasters and other emergencies.
Jackson wrote of the legal win: “Our towns spent years doing everything FEMA asked them to do to qualify for this funding, and they were in the middle of building real protections against storms when FEMA suddenly broke its word. This ruling puts the money back where it was promised so these communities can be ready for the next storm.”