Category World News

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump can proceed with plans to slash funding and resources for the federal Department of Education.

The conservative-majority court ruled on Monday that the government could move forward with plans to lay off nearly 1,400 employees as part of Trump’s push to effectively dismantle the department.

“While today’s ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the US Constitution,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement celebrating the decision.

Monday’s ruling cancels a previous order on the administration’s efforts to fire about 1,400 workers at the Education Department, which US District Judge Myong Joun had ruled against in May, stating that it would “likely cripple the department”.

A US Court of Appeals agreed in a ruling on June 4 that the cuts would make it “effectively impossible for the Department to carry out its statutory functions”, which include overseeing student loans and enforcing civil rights law in US education, the site of previous political battles over issues such as federal efforts to combat racial segregation.

Critics have accused the Trump administration of working to effectively abolish federal agencies, established and funded by Congress, through a maximalist interpretation of executive power.

Trump and his Republican allies have depicted federal agencies as being at odds with their political agenda, and as hotbeds of leftist ideology and bureaucratic excess.

The Trump administration has also sought to impose greater control over US universities, seeking a larger role in shaping curricula and threatening to withdraw federal funds if universities do not comply with government demands concerning issues such as cracking down on pro-Palestine student activism.

Two dozen states have sued the administration of United States President Donald Trump after the federal government froze $6.8bn in education funding.

On Monday, a group of 23 attorneys general and two governors filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island arguing that the decision to halt funds approved by the US Congress was “contrary to law, arbitrary and capricious, and unconstitutional”.

The freeze extended to funding used to support the education of migrant farm workers and their children, recruitment and training of teachers, English proficiency learning, academic enrichment, and after-school and summer programmes.

The administration also froze funding used to support adult literacy and job-readiness skills.

“This is not about Democrat or Republican – these funds were appropriated by Congress for the education of Kentucky’s children, and it’s my job to ensure we get them,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a statement.

“In Kentucky, $96 million in federal education funds are at risk. Our kids and our future depend on a strong education, and these funds are essential to making sure our kids succeed.”

While the government was legally required to release the money to the states by July 1, the federal Department of Education notified states on June 30 that it would not be issuing grant awards under those programmes by that deadline. It cited the change in administration as its reason.

Schools in Republican-led areas are particularly affected by the freeze in federal education grants.

Ninety-one of the 100 school districts that receive the most money per student from four frozen grant programmes are in Republican congressional districts, according to an analysis from New America, a left-leaning think tank. New America’s analysis used funding levels reported in 2022 in 46 states.

Republican officials have been among the educators criticising the grant freeze.

“I deeply believe in fiscal responsibility, which means evaluating the use of funds and seeking out efficiencies, but also means being responsible – releasing funds already approved by Congress and signed by President Trump,” said Georgia schools superintendent Richard Woods, an elected Republican.

“In Georgia, we’re getting ready to start the school year, so I call on federal funds to be released so we can ensure the success of our students.”

Andrew Cuomo has said that he will run as an independent in the race for New York City mayor, following a stinging loss to progressive upstart Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic Party primary last month.

The former New York State governor, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, vowed to continue his mayoral bid in a video posted to social media on Monday.

“As my grandfather used to say, when you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I am going to do,” said Cuomo. “The fight to save our city isn’t over.”

Mamdani’s 12-point win over Cuomo in the Democratic primary has electrified progressives and pushed pro-business Democrats, wary of his embrace of progressive economic policies and critical stance towards Israel, to seek an alternative after the bruising primary defeat.

The general election will take place in November, with Mamdani facing off against Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who trails in most polls and whose tenure has been marred by a series of corruption scandals. Anti-crime figure Curtis Sliwa will also be in the race as the Republican nominee.

“I welcome everyone to this race, and I am as confident as I have been since three weeks ago on primary night, when we faced Andrew Cuomo and won that race by more than 12 points with the most votes of any Democratic nominee in New York City primary history,” Mamdani said in remarks responding to Cuomo’s entry into the general race.

“And we did so because of the fact that while Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip over themselves to make deals in back rooms with billionaires, we are fighting for working New Yorkers.”

Cuomo was once considered the near-prohibitive favourite to win the city’s Democratic primary, the main contest for the mayoralty in the liberal stronghold. But he gradually lost ground to an energetic campaign by Mamdani.

The 33-year-old democratic socialist ran a campaign sharply focused on cost-of-living and affordability issues, promoting policies such as free public buses and the creation of city-run grocery stores that will offer essential goods at more affordable prices.

Polling has shown that many of Mamdani’s populist economic policies, such as raising taxes on the wealthy to invest in social programmes and freezing rental prices in place for low-income tenants, enjoy widespread popularity. But Cuomo and other centrist Democrats have said that they are unrealistic and unworkable.

“My opponent, Mr Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions,” Cuomo said in his video.

Cuomo and members of the Democratic Party have also criticised Mamdani’s position on Israel, which he has said is committing “genocide” in Gaza.

That opinion is in line with a growing number of international human rights groups and human rights experts, and comes at a moment of growing disfavour towards Israel among US voters in general and Democratic voters in particular.

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced it was issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, Cuomo, a firm backer of Israel, joined a team of attorneys who said they would defend the Israeli leader.

Ten years ago, Iran and world powers signed a historic nuclear deal, easing sanctions in return for limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Since then, the United States pulled out, and just weeks ago, joined Israel in attacking Iran.

What’s the legacy of this deal and its collapse?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Alan Eyre – Member of US nuclear deal team (2010-2015)

Abas Aslani – Senior research fellow, Center for Middle East Strategic Studies