GOP Senator Moves to Eliminate Department of Education
SouthGOP Dakota Senator IntroducesMoves Legislation to Eliminate Dept.Department of Education
The Facts
Republican US Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced legislation on Thursday to eliminate the Department of Education (ED), which was first established in 1979. Rounds said he's been pursuing such legislation "for years."It would also return disability programs to the Department of Health and Human Services, and "research and training efforts overseas" to the State Department.
He said it would "eliminate" the department and redistribute all critical federal programs to other agencies. For example, before 1979, Indigenous programs were under the Department of the Interior and student loans were under the Treasury Department.Rounds said that it is time to end what he dubbed the "bureaucratic department," adding that local and state institutions "know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC."
The Spin
Since its inception, which was simply a quid pro quo between then-Pres. Jimmy Carter and a teachers union, the EDDepartment of Education has only fosteredprioritized federal overreach and ideological agendas over basic education. This has led to declining literacy rates and divisive curricula. Returning control to states and reallocating functions to existing agencies would improve efficiency and accountability.
The Department of Education is vital for equal access to education and the nation's democracy. It ensures funding for low-income schools, enforces anti-discrimination laws, supports students with disabilities, and distributes billions of dollars in grants and loans. RemovingBesides wasting time, expertise, and funding that is already in place, dismantling it risks deepdeepening inequities, worsensworsening teacher shortages, and abandonsabandoning federal accountability crucial for student success.
