Governor Josh Shapiro has filed a lawsuit, along with 24 other states and the District of Columbia, against the U.S. Department of Education to block a restrictive new federal regulation capping the total amount of loans a student can borrow for certain degrees, including nursing and teaching.

According to a news release from the Governor’s office, “the federal government’s new, narrow definition of a ‘professional student’ will limit access to essential student loans, making education less affordable and accessible; worsening deep workforce shortages; and directly harming Pennsylvania families’ access to health care – especially those in rural and under-served areas.”

The suit claims the new federal rule lowers financial aid limits for students pursuing advanced degrees in critical fields such as health care and education. It argues that the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to restrict access to loans ignores real-world educational and licensing requirements.

The lawsuit can be found here.

In related news, Shapiro criticized President Donald Trump over reports of a taxpayer funded compensation program connected to January 6 defendants and political allies.

According to a May 18 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Attorney General established “The Anti-Weaponization Fund” to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare as a part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service.

“The Fund will have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants. Submission of a claim is voluntary. There are no partisan requirements to file a claim.  Any money left when the Fund ceases operations will revert to the Federal Government,” the release says. “The Fund will receive $1.776 billion and will come from the judgment fund, which is a perpetual appropriation allowing DOJ to settle and pay cases. On a quarterly basis, the Fund shall send a report to the Attorney General outlining who has received relief and what form of relief was awarded.”

Shapiro described the fund as diverting taxpayer money to Trump’s political allies and donors. He said the arrangement could result in payments to pardoned January 6 participants and Republican lawmakers investigated by the DOJ, while barring IRS probes into Trump and his family.

A clip from his speech is below:

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