00:00Take it away, A.G. Campbell. Thank you, A.G. Weiser. And thank you, of course, A.G. Bonta and A.G. Nirona for your continued partnership. And yet, of course, another action to hold this federal administration accountable.
00:12I, too, remain extremely proud to be a part of a coalition in this particular case of 23 A.G.s and the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky in coming together to sue the federal administration for unlawful action, harmful action, and cruel action where they would cut or attempt to cut $6 billion in critical educational funding, which was mandated by Congress.
00:38And hence, only Congress has the power to change that funding, but to support our children and our families. This funding is critical. Of the close to $6 billion, Massachusetts was expected to receive more than $100 million to fund all types of educational programming.
00:57And this includes helping our students meet our education standards here in Massachusetts, supporting English language learners, promoting effective classroom instruction,
01:08improving school conditions, improving school conditions, and the quality of our schools, offering after-school programming and extracurricular activities for our families and our children, aiding in workforce development, and so much more.
01:22Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education. We are home to some of the best schools in the world. From kindergarten to higher ed, we lead the nation in student achievement.
01:31We firmly believe that all children deserve access to a high-quality education that meets their individual needs. And let me be clear, if this latest federal action goes unchecked, our students, our families, our schools, and our communities will absolutely suffer.
01:50The administration has proven yet again that it does not care about the well-being of our kids or the educators that are providing these services and working so incredibly hard.
01:59We are sadly just a few weeks away from the start of the new school year, and this chaos and confusion doesn't help to ensure that there is a smooth transition for everybody.
02:10Year after year, funding has been released to Massachusetts and other states by July 1st, but that changed this year.
02:17Like so many actions from this administration, this funding freeze is creating chaos and confusion as schools grapple with the start of a new year,
02:26and also how they will overcome funding shortfalls created by this freeze.
02:32Local education systems have already approved their budgets.
02:35They've already developed staff plans, signed contracts to provide educational services, and now all of that is disrupted.
02:42Essential after-school programming that would flow smoothly, but for this confusion,
02:48folks are scrambling to figure out how they're going to keep their doors open, close the gaps, and find the funding they will need.
02:55And working parents are wondering what they will do about the child care needs of their children if these programs are shut down.
03:03And to put into context, school districts expected to receive this funding on July 1st,
03:08and as A.G. Bonta mentioned, they received a three-sentence email on the evening of June 30th,
03:15just one day before the funds were supposed to be dispersed, that these funds, which were mandated by Congress,
03:21were going to be withheld by the administration as the administration decided whether or not they aligned with the president's priorities.
03:28They don't have the power to do that.
03:31And they also did not express to anyone what those priorities were.
03:34This administration has repeatedly shown us that they are going to break the rule of law,
03:40that they have no respect whatsoever for the Constitution or the rule of law in this country.
03:45The president does not have the power to unilaterally decide to withhold funding that was appropriated by Congress.
03:52And not just as an attorney general, but as a public school kid, as a mom of two young boys attending public schools,
03:58I will use all of the tools in my office, working with colleagues all across this country to protect our children, our families, and our educators.
04:07And we will continue to hold this federal administration accountable by going to court,
04:11as we are doing today, to seek an injunction to stop this funding freeze from taking effect,
04:17and to remind folks that it is unlawful and that the president does not have the power to withhold this crucial funding.
04:24I'll end by saying that AGs, we are in a unique position to hold this administration accountable.
04:30And I'm really proud to work with colleagues that understand that responsibility deeply,
04:34and will continue to work with a sense of urgency to protect our families, our children, our country, and these critical services.
04:42We will not take our feet off the gas because we absolutely understand what's at stake.
04:47Really proud to work with my colleague from Rhode Island, and I'll turn it over to you, AG Peter Naroda.
