Neronha joins 16 states suing Trump administration for post-Uvalde massacre mental health funding cut

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has announced he’s joined another lawsuit against the Trump administration, this time regarding cuts to mental health access for school children.

Rhode Island joined 16 other states in the lawsuit that aims at stopping the department of education’s cuts to funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.

According to the AG’s release, that $1 billion in funding passed after the Uvalde School massacre and was to bring in 14,000 mental health experts to schools who needed it.

The Trump administration sent notices at the end of April saying those grants conflicted with the administration’s priorities and cut off funding.

The attorneys general lawsuit filed Monday said that funding cut was violated “the administrative procedure act,” and asked for an injunction.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Neronha secured an injunction that pauses the “dismantling” of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a release, Attorney General Neronha said that injunction “Guarantees that essential HHS programs and services, including cancer screenings, mental health and addiction treatment, and early childhood education, will remain available to the American people as the case proceeds.”