Dear MoveOn member,
I've spent years fighting for public education—as the chair of my local
school board, an advocate, a mom, and a MoveOn staff member.
But I've never seen an attack as brazen and destructive as Donald Trump's
plan to "immediately close" the U.S. Department of Education.^1
This isn't bureaucratic reshuffling. It's a direct attack on the most
vulnerable students in this country: children with disabilities, students
of color, multilingual learners, and kids living in poverty.
Millions of students rely on federal protections and funding to get a fair
shot at a quality education. If Trump's plan to defund the Department of
Education goes through, it will cause massive teacher layoffs and create
overcrowded classrooms. School meal programs will be gutted. Millions of
students will lose their civil rights protections.
We cannot let this happen.
That's why MoveOn's launching an emergency campaign to mobilize people
across the country to stop Trump's attack on our public schools. We're ...
* flooding Congress with calls
* running ads to expose what's at stake, and
* organizing to make lawmakers feel the pressure from us and get them to
stand up for students.
But we need resources to do it.
[ [link removed] ]Can you chip in $9 now to fund MoveOn's emergency effort
to stop Trump from destroying public education? If you've saved your
payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through
immediately.
I served for six years on the school board in Portland, Maine, where
students of color make up the majority of our district. I saw firsthand
how badly schools are underfunded, how hard our educators work every day
to make up for that, and how much public schools rely on federal funds and
federal protections.
For the first time in generations, some school districts were finally
starting to address the massive inequities baked into our public education
system.
Trump's plan would wipe out those gains—and make the problems far worse.
The Department of Education ensures that schools serving high-poverty
communities receive the funding they need to keep teachers in classrooms
and to get meals on students' lunch plates. The department enforces Title
IX protections, enabling girls and women to pursue education without
discrimination. It provides critical oversight for students with
disabilities. And more.
Trump's plan to eliminate the Department of Education would be absolutely
catastrophic. The first steps he's already taken—slashing funding, denying
trans students their humanity, firing key staff, and installing leaders
who want to dismantle it from within—have already caused enormous harm.
We blocked most of Trump's attacks on education during his first term, and
we can do it again—but only if we act right away.
MoveOn members are mobilizing across the country. Your donation will help
support our organizing, advocacy, and work to pressure lawmakers to
protect our public schools.
[ [link removed] ]Please, if you can, donate $9 now to help MoveOn fight
back against Trump and save the Department of Education. If you've saved
your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go
through immediately.
Our children's futures are on the line. Let's fight like hell to protect
them.
Thanks for all you do.
With determination,
–Emily Figdor, MoveOn Senior Director
Source:
1. "Trump says he wants Education Department to be closed immediately,"
Reuters, February 13, 2025
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump and his MAGA allies expect us
to give up. But we will not give them what they want. We will never stop
working to defend our fundamental freedoms and protect our democracy.
MoveOn has been leading the movement against right-wing extremism for 26
years, and we promise you that we will still be here every step of the way
forward.
Will you donate to power MoveOn's work to protect our freedoms and
democracy under Trump's administration?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $9, or whatever you can afford.
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