White House 'won’t allow' DeSantis success in lawsuit against Department of Education: report

After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hit the United States Department of Education with a lawsuit Thursday for acting in a "unconstitutional" way towards Florida's education system, the White House has retorted, The Messenger reports.

Per The Messenger, the lawsuit was filed Thursday morning "in Fort Lauderdale federal court and led by Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody," which is "part of DeSantis' vow to end what he calls agenda-driven boards that oversee educational funding for public and private institutions."

More specifically, the governor, who is also a 2024 Republican hopeful, is suing the department for "acting 'unconstitutionally' against the Sunshine State's higher education system for allowing unelected boards to wield power over funding," according to the report.

READ MORE: College Board won’t change AP courses to comply with DeSantis' anti-education law

"Governor DeSantis is now bringing his culture wars, like book bans, to the long-standing system that helps ensure students receive a quality college education," White House Assistant Press Secretary Abdullah Hasan told The Messenger.

Hasan emphasized, "If Republican elected officials could have their way, library shelves would be stocked with guns – not books – and curriculums would be loaded with conspiracy theories, not facts," adding, "These culture wars do nothing to actually help students, and only make things worse. This administration won't allow it. We're committed to ensuring all students receive a high-quality education, and will fight this latest effort by opponents to get in the way of that."

The Messenger reports:

College accreditation agencies also are accused in the lawsuit for violating the private non-delegation doctrine, which prevents Congress from delegating power over other entities; the appointment clause, which allows the president to nominate appoint officials with congressional confirmation; and the spending clause, which gives the federal government the power of taxation.

DeSantis called the entire accreditation process 'unconstitutional.'

The governor continues to face stark criticism from Democratic lawmakers, educators, authors, and even a Republican megadonor for pouring his culture wars antics into education, by banning inclusive books from school libraries, as well as advanced-placement courses on African-American history from classrooms, and committing to infusing state colleges and universities with his conservative ideals.

READ MORE: Florida law targets education unions that Ron DeSantis says 'defied the state'

The Messenger's full report is available at this link.