"This is political theater, not serious public policy. To dismantle any cabinet-level federal agency requires congressional approval, and we urge lawmakers to reject misleading rhetoric in favor of what is in the best interests of students and their families. Significant harm already has been done to students and taxpayers by the Trump administration’s arbitrary and misguided steps to hollow out the department.
The Department of Education is responsible for many critical functions, such as ensuring that student financial aid programs provide millions of low- and middle-income students access to postsecondary education, overseeing crucial Title I funding that supports elementary and secondary school students from low-income families, and carrying out the vital work of the Office for Civil Rights across all education sectors. The administration and Congress should focus on improving on the important work that the department performs that benefits ordinary Americans, not unilateral and thoughtless cuts to the department's workforce and ability to serve Americans."