California and other states sued the Trump administration to block its clawback of federal funding to support academic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

California and a coalition of other states, including Hawaii, sued Thursday to block the Trump administration’s attempt to take back hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding intended to support the academic recovery of students whose education was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools had until March 2026 to spend remaining COVID relief money. The U.S. Department of Education cut those funds, amounting to about $200 million for California K-12 schools.