A bill that would achieve Donald Trump’s goal of abolishing the federal Department of Education has been introduced in the US Senate.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced the bill, the Returning Education to Our States Act, on Thursday. If passed, the bill would provide $200 billion in funding and redistribute the Education Department’s work to other federal agencies and states.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it is long past time to end this bureaucratic department that is doing more harm than good,” Rounds said in a statement announcing the bill .
Related: Trump chooses former WWE executive Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education
He added: “For years I have been working to remove the federal Ministry of Education. I am pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I look forward to working with him and the Republican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap for eliminating the federal Department of Education by virtually relocating these federal programs to the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year.”
The Department of Education’s major responsibilities would be shifted to other offices: administration of federal student loans would become the responsibility of the Treasury Department; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which enforces protections for the 7.5 million students with special needs, would fall under the Department of Health and Human Services; the Fulbright-Hays program would be overseen by the State Department.
The bill would need a 60-vote supermajority in the soon-to-be Republican-controlled Senate to pass. Notably, Rounds believes he can pass the bill with 50 votes, the Argus leader said. This achievement would be accomplished through reconciliation, a loophole in Congress that allows the enactment of tax and spending legislation with only a majority vote. Despite Rounds’ ambition, reconciliation does not look promising, as Democrats and some independents who oppose abolishing the department still control the Senate and the White House.
Rounds could reintroduce the bill next legislative session when Republicans take control, but it would still require 60 votes to pass the Senate.
Education and policy experts have expressed concerns if the bill passes and about what else lies ahead in a new Trump administration.
David DeMatthews, a professor at the University of Texas’ department of educational leadership and policy, said he doesn’t think the education department “will ultimately be abolished, but I do have a lot of fears.”
Education is a topic that “really cuts[s] across the political divide,” he said.
“Republican people who voted for Trump may have a child with a disability or a traumatic brain injury who is in a special program and would cost that family $50 to $60,000. They want their child to attend a high-quality program that is evaluated by the state. They want rights when the state isn’t doing its job properly, and it all stems from the federal special education law ‘Idea’ [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act]and all of which is monitored and enforced by the U.S. Department of Education.”
Eliminating the Department of Education has long been a key goal of the Republican Party since its creation in 1980 by then-President Jimmy Carter. That same year, Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan, even campaigned on eliminating the newly formed department — although that desire was quashed after Reagan’s first education secretary, Terrel Bell, wrote a report that “argued for a strong federal role to ensure that students receive a high-quality education,” said ChalkBeat.
Since then, the department has seen a push and a pull depending on the party in power. Under Democratic administrations, the department has become more progressive. In a recent example, the Biden administration issued new Title IX rules in April that provided greater protections for LGBTQ+ students, victims of sexual misconduct, and pregnant students; in July, House Republicans blocked it.
In his campaign, Trump repeatedly emphasized that one of his education policies was closing the Department of Education and “creating a new accreditation body that will be the gold standard around the world for certifying teachers who embrace patriotic values and support our way of life.” understand that it is not their job to indoctrinate children.”
He has also pledged to return school choice to the states and cut federal funding for any school or program that teaches “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.”
Shortly after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump baselessly claimed that the Education Department was staffed by many people who “in many cases hate our children” and said “we want states to manage our children’s education because they will do a lot” . better job of it” in a video.
Earlier this month, Trump chose Linda McMahon, the former executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, as Secretary of Education, charged with leading the department he has vowed to close — a move DeMatthews called “worrying.”
“Across the board, we’re already seeing people in the Trump administration and some Republicans really trying to roll back some of the foundational civil rights victories of the 1960s and 1970s to support students with disabilities, low-income families, and English learners. ” said DeMatthews.
“I think if the public understood it and knew about it, they wouldn’t be willing to take away support to help some of the most marginalized children in our country.”
