[ [link removed] ]Donald Trump is drafting an executive order that threatens to gut
federal resources for students and educators by ELIMINATING the Department
of Education. Add your name to STOP this attack on public education!

Dear MoveOn member,

President Donald Trump has wasted no time enacting the worst parts of
Project 2025—including eroding public education that millions of families
depend on. Tomorrow, Linda McMahon, Trump's nominee for secretary of the
Department of Education, will face the Senate in her first step toward
securing the position. The confirmation hearing comes on the the heels of
news outlets reporting that the Trump administration is drafting an
executive order that would initiate the dismantling of the Department of
Education. And Trump is clear on her task, saying, "I want her to put
herself out of a job [in the] Education Department."^1

McMahon has openly admitted she has no education experience—and clearly no
intention of strengthening our education system.^2 As a charter school and
school of choice advocate, she's been tapped by Trump to take away our
freedom to learn and enrich the billionaire class.
 
[ [link removed] ]This is yet another attempt by Trump and Musk to steal resources from
our communities, and we have to fight back. Any dissolution of a federal
agency requires approval from Congress. Sign and demand members of
Congress protect the Department of Education and block any attempts to
abolish it.

Eliminating the Department of Education—and the critical services it
provides—is extreme, even for Trump. But he has been attacking our
education system since Day 1 of his second presidency—from trying to ban
"critical race theory" from being taught in schools to removing the Biden
administration's Title IX rules on gender identity, sexual orientation,
and how sexual assault cases are investigated.^3,4 And shortly after, the
Trump administration released another executive order aimed at steering
public funds toward private schools through expanded voucher programs.^5
Donald Trump and his allies are making our school systems more
dangerous and financially strained. Instead of making schools a place
where students can feel safe and supported, they are exposing our students
to more discrimination and harm.

And make no mistake about it—something as unpopular as slashing the
Department of Education would hurt ALL Americans, but especially in red
states that voted for Trump and rely on federal funding for their public
schools.^6 This is a betrayal of taxpayers who deserve to have their
hard-earned money go toward improving our communities—not making
billionaires even richer. 

This is an attack on our families and children—and we won't let it happen
without a fight. 

[ [link removed] ]Join the more than 66,000 MoveOn members who have signed the petition
calling on Congress to BLOCK any attempts to harm students, teachers, and
families who depend on strong public schools. Sign the petition and then
share with three friends.

Thanks for all you do.

–Kelsey, Aliya, Nita, Toni, and the rest of the team

P.S. See our previous email below to learn more about why dismantling the
Department of Education would be so detrimental to our communities and
country. 

Sources: 

1. "President Trump says he wants his education secretary to 'put herself
out of a job,'" USA Today, February 4, 2025
[link removed]

2. "The MAGA Think Tank Behind Linda McMahon's Education Agenda," The
Nation, January 9, 2025
[link removed]

3. "Department of Education undoes Biden's Title IX rules on gender," The
Hill, January 31, 2025
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

4. "Trump's orders take aim at critical race theory and antisemitism on
college campuses," Associated Press, January 30, 2025
[link removed]

5. "Trump executive order seeks to steer federal funds to private school
vouchers," Idaho Education News, January 30, 2025
[link removed]

6. "Trump signs executive orders on school choice and school funding, and
combatting antisemitism," CNN, January 29, 2025
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

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[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition to demand Congress BLOCK any attempts by the Trump
administration to eliminate the Department of Education!

Dear MoveOn member, 

Public education in this country is under attack. And Trump has already
made clear his intentions to undermine public education even further at
every turn—including the extreme proposal to completely eliminate the
Department of Education.

"One other thing I'll be doing very early in the administration is closing
up the Department of Education," Trump stated back in 2023, warning that
he would be "sending all education and education work and needs back to
the states."^7

And in preparation for Trump's second presidency, conservative,
anti-public-education organizations like the American Culture Project are
pushing for abolishing the Department of Education to be a priority. Elon
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will be heading the new "Department of
Government Efficiency," seem to be on board.^8 And just weeks after the
election, a Republican senator introduced legislation to dismantle
the Department of Education.^9

There are checks and balances in our democracy, and our elected officials
are still beholden to their constituents. Trump can't eliminate a federal
department without approval from Congress. We have to take action NOW to
make it clear to our elected officials that they cannot allow the
Department of Education to be abolished. 

[ [link removed] ]Add your name to the petition and let members of Congress know that
Americans expect them to block any attempts to abolish the Department of
Education!

Tell Congress: Block any attempts by the Trump administration to eliminate
the Department of Education! 

[8]Sign the petition

Protecting students from discrimination.

Funding schools with high low-income student populations.

Bolstering school programs that support students with disabilities.

Administering federal student loans.

Collecting data and reporting out on schools across the country.

Working toward equal access to education.

That's the role of the Department of Education and what's at risk if Trump
is successful in abolishing it.

And he won't stop there. Project 2025 has an entire section focused on
reshaping—or, more accurately, dismantling—our public education system and
a plan to drain all of our resources to reroute to private education. The
plan not only includes eliminating the Department of Education but also
getting rid of teachers unions, ending federal funding, and gutting any
programs that support equity and inclusion, even free school lunch
programs and Head Start.^10

[ [link removed] ]We are not going backward. Will you sign the petition and urge Congress
to vote NO on any attempts to eliminate the Department of Education?

K-12 public schools are massively underfunded by more than $150 BILLION
annually—meaning educators are continually asked to do more for less, as
their own wages stagnate.^11 And it's the 30 million students in these
underfunded districts that pay the price long-term.^12 This "opportunity
gap," as it's called, affects Black children disproportionately, who are
three times more likely to reside in districts that are "chronically
underfunded."^13

By sending education "back to the states," Trump will be worsening
existing inequities in our public education system. Everyone deserves to
have access to a quality education—regardless of who they are or where
they live. We have to fight for the future of our children's education. We
have to fight to protect the Department of Education. 

[ [link removed] ]Trump and MAGA Republicans intend to dismantle public education as we
know it. Add your name to the petition to defend the Department of
Education and demand that our government make the investments our children
and educators deserve.

Thanks for all you do. 

–Aliya, Kelsey, Nita, Toni, and the rest of the team

Sources:

7. "What Trump's pledge to close Dept. of Education means for students,
GOP-led states," NPR, November 15, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

8. Ibid. 

9. "Republican senator introduces bill to abolish US Department of
Education," The Guardian, November 27, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

10. "How Project 2025 Would Devastate Public Education," NEA Today,
October 4, 2024
[link removed]

11. "TCF Study Finds U.S. Schools Underfunded by Nearly $150 Billion
Annually," The Century Foundation, July 22, 2020
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

12. Ibid.
 
13. "For Black Kids, Underfunded Public Schools Are Inequality Factories,"
The Atlanta Voice, February 1, 2024
[link removed]

You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you.
It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.

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.

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