A bill introduced by Senate Republicans could be the first step in fulfilling one of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises: dismantling the Department of Education. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced the Returning Education to Our States Act, a bill that would eliminate the Education Department, redistribute its responsibilities to other federal agencies and send federal funds directly to states.
The bill gives the Department of Treasury the authority to withhold federal grants if states misuse the funding.
Rounds criticized the Education Department while speaking about the bill.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said. “We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.”
The push to dismantle the Education Department gained momentum after Trump included it in his re-election campaign.
“We spend more money per pupil than any other country by far, and yet we’re at the bottom of the list out of 40,” Trump said during a rally. “We’re ranked about number 40, and I’m going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states, and we’re going to do it fast.”
The idea to end the federal government’s role in education has been discussed since the department was created in 1979. Former President Ronald Reagan and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole both called for its elimination.
However, efforts to dismantle the department face significant challenges due to slim Republican majorities in the incoming Congress. The Senate typically requires 60 votes for a bill to pass, meaning it would need support from some Democrats. This seems unlikely, given the strong opposition from Democrats, who view the Department of Education as crucial for ensuring equal access to education across the country.
“I am staunchly opposed to President-elect Trump’s education agenda, which seeks to abolish the Department of Education, eliminate funding for low-income and rural K-12 schools, scrap the expansion of school meals, and make it more difficult for student borrowers to repay their loans,” Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the ranking Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a statement.
Rounds acknowledged that the department houses important programs and identified 25 that would be redirected to other federal agencies. While Rounds is pushing the bill in the Senate, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said he plans to introduce similar legislation in the House within the first few weeks of the next Congressional session.
