A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would accomplish President Donald Trump’s goal of abolishing the federal Department of Education.
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced a bill Thursday called the Bringing Education Back to the States Act. If passed, the bill would provide $200 billion in funding and reallocate the Department of Education’s work to other federal agencies and states.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucracy that does more harm than good,” Lowndes said in a statement announcing the bill.
He added, “I have worked for years to abolish the federal Department of Education. I am pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I look forward to working with him and others to make this a reality. I’m excited to work with the Republican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.This bill is a roadmap to eliminate the federal Department of Education by effectively relocating these federal programs under its jurisdiction. , which will be very important for next year.”
The Department of Education’s primary responsibilities would be transferred to other departments, and the administration of federal student loans would become the responsibility of the Treasury Department. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which mandates protections for 7.5 million students with special needs, falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Fulbright-Haze program will be overseen by the State Department.
The bill would soon need a 60-vote supermajority in the Republican-controlled Senate to pass. Notably, the Argus leader said Mr. Rounds believes he can pass the bill with 50 votes. That feat would be accomplished through reconciliation, a loophole in Congress that allows tax and spending legislation to be enacted with just a simple majority. Despite Mr. Rounds’ ambitions, reconciliation does not look promising because Democrats and some independents who oppose abolishing the department still control the Senate and White House.
Rounds could reintroduce the bill next term when Republicans are in power, but it would still need 60 votes to pass the Senate.
Education and policy experts have expressed concerns about what will happen if the bill passes and the incoming Trump administration.
David DeMathews, a professor at the University of Texas School of Educational Leadership and Policy, said the school of education “doesn’t think it’s going to end up being abolished, but I’m very concerned.”
Education is one of the subjects that “really cuts across the political divide,” he said.
“Republicans who voted for Trump may have children with disabilities or traumatic brain injuries who are receiving special programs that cost their families $50,000 to $60,000. of children receive high-quality programs recognized by the government. They want rights when the state isn’t doing a good job, all based on the “idea” of federal special education law (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). All of which are monitored and enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. ”
Eliminating the Department of Education has long been a key Republican goal since it was created by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Later that year, Mr. Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan, even campaigned to abolish the newly created department, but Mr. After writing a report that argued for a stronger role for the federal government, that desire was quashed. According to ChalkBeat, it’s a quality education.
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Since then, the department has seen push and pull depending on the party in power. Under Democratic administrations, the department showed more progressive tendencies. Recent examples include the Biden administration issuing new Title IX regulations in April that strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ students, victims of sexual misconduct, and pregnant students. House Republicans blocked it in July.
On the campaign trail, President Trump announced that one of his education policies would be to shut down the Department of Education and make it “the gold standard anywhere in the world for certifying teachers who embrace the patriotic values that support our way of life and way of life.” “Establishing a new certification body,” he reiterated. Understand that their job is not to indoctrinate children. ”
He also called for returning school choice to states and removing federal funding for schools and programs that teach “critical race theory, gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, and political content.” promised to reduce it.
Immediately after winning the 2024 presidential election, President Trump baselessly claimed that the Department of Education was staffed by “people who, in many cases, hate children,” claiming that “states have no control over children’s education.” “I want the state to do a lot of work for us,” he said. Please try harder,” he said in the video.
Earlier this month, President Trump chose former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon to be his education secretary, tasked with running the department he had vowed to shut down, a move DeMathews called “concerning.” I’m here.
“Overall, what we’re seeing is that people in the Trump administration and some Republicans are already pushing back in the ’60s to help students with disabilities, low-income families, English language learners. “We’re trying to undo the fundamental civil rights victories that happened in the ’70s,” DeMathews said.
“If the public understood this and knew this, I don’t think they would object to taking away support to help the most marginalized children in our country.”
