Dear John,
Since we last sounded the alarm about Trump’s Project 2025-based plans to destroy the Department of Education, Trump has signed an executive order and authorized wrestling executive-turned-Education Secretary Linda McMahon to fire 1,300 employees – more than half the Department’s staff.
They claim they will “protect” student loans and children with disabilities, but they know well that if Congress passes their bill, it will leave every child’s right to a public education in tatters.
If enacted, the GOP bill would affect all federal student loan programs. Over $1 trillion in Pell Grants, Educational Opportunity Grants, TEACH Grants, work-study, and subsidized and unsubsidized student loans would be transferred to other departments or sent to the states, leaving millions of students in an uncertain limbo regarding their financial aid, loan payments, and repayment obligations.
Abolishing the Department of Education would end enforcement of Title IX protections and Title I funding, deepening the divide between the privileged and the disadvantaged. States would have to choose whether to educate children with disabilities, with some states inevitably failing the challenge. The burdens would fall heaviest on families and states with the least resources, forcing them to scramble for alternatives without federal support.
Ultimately, gutting the Department of Education has the clear intention of weakening public education throughout the country, softening the ground for massive privatization, and stealing resources from those with the least.
The result: A two-tiered system where education becomes a privilege for the wealthy, rather than a fundamental right for all.
Send a direct message to demand that Congress save the Department of Education and decisively reject this radical attack on public schools now!
The good news is: The majority of Americans of both parties are opposed to shuttering the Department of Education. According to a Quinnipiac poll conducted in early March, 60% of registered voters oppose the plan, while only 33% are in favor of it. Only 1% of Democrats are in favor, while 98% oppose it.
This means that Democrats can actually stop this attack – but only if they stick together. If all House Democrats vote against the bill, just three Republicans in swing districts responding to the concerns of their constituents could certainly kill it. And even if it passes the House, Senate Democrats could still preserve the Department of Education with a filibuster.
But Congress will not do this without a massive public outcry. That’s where we come in.
Congress must know that these destructive plans will be met with unshakable opposition from the American people! Every member of Congress must be reminded that the people who vote for them demand the right to quality public education.
If we permit this reckless bill to move forward, it will deprive young people of opportunities, threatening the future strength of our nation. We are strongest when every child and every young person, from every background, has a real chance to fulfill their potential.
Congress must hear from us! Sign and send a message to your members of Congress to stop Trump’s radical anti-education agenda, protect the Department of Education and defend students’ futures now.
Thank you for standing up for the future of public education in America.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
