John,
On March 20, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to begin dismantling the Department of Education.1 This comes on the heels of the firing of 1,300 employees in the department and the closing of 5 offices that investigate civil rights complaints.2
Because the Department of Education is a cabinet-level agency, Trump does not have the authority to abolish it. Only Congress can abolish a cabinet-level agency―and, in the past, supporting the Department of Education has traditionally been a bipartisan issue.
In 2023, when an amendment was introduced to abolish the Department of Education, 60 Republicans joined with Democrats to vote it down.3
We need Congress to come together in a bipartisan manner and block Donald Trump from carrying out his destruction of the Department of Education. Send a direct message to Congress now.
SEND A MESSAGE
While defending public education has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, abolishing the Department of Education is part of Project 2025’s plan, which includes cutting critical services to pay for more tax cuts for the rich.4 Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said in response to Trump’s executive order:5
“President Trump, Elon Musk, and Secretary McMahon have a clear education agenda: stealing from public schools to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Dismantling the Department of Education is just code for cuts to public schools, educators, students, and parents. Their anti-student, anti-family, anti-educator plan to dismantle the Department will harm every community across the country. They are attempting to privatize education, locking the promise of opportunity in an ivory tower accessible only to those born into the right circumstances.”
And Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02), a senior member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, issued the following statement:6
“President Trump is disguising his assault on education as a mandate for efficiency when in reality it is part of his and Elon Musk’s plan to give billions to billionaires through tax cuts. This is not what the American people want. In fact, the most recent attempt to shut down the Department through the legislative process was soundly shot down by a strong bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats in Congress because it is well-known that Republican states rely on the services the Education Department provides more than blue states.”
Abolishing this critical department is wildly unpopular and Congressional Republicans know that, which is why so many of them voted against it in 2023.7 We must not let partisan politics get in the way of our children's futures.
Send a message to Congress urging them to defend the Department of Education today.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein,
Executive Director, CHN Action
1 Can Trump Really Abolish the Department of Education?
2 Education Department Fires 1,300 Workers, Gutting Its Staff
3 Roll Call 156 | Bill Number: H. R. 5
4 How Project 2025 Would Devastate Public Education
5 Senator Markey Slams Trump EO to Dismantle Department of Education
6 Rep. Courtney Statement on President Trump’s Dismantling of the Education Department
7 What the data says about the U.S. Department of Education
