Dear Friend, 

Promises made. Promises kept. Last week, President Trump made history by signing an executive order to officially begin the process of closing the Department of Education. This is a massive win for American students, schools, and our communities.

Watch: President Trump discusses closing the Department of Education

For far too long, bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have dictated how we educate our children, pushing one-size-fits-all policies that ignore the unique needs of our students and classrooms. For years, we have fought tirelessly to return power in education to where it belongs – with you – parents, teachers, and local school boards who know our students and their educational needs the best.

The Department of Education has consistently fallen short of fulfilling its intended purpose. Now, our schools will focus on what works, tailoring education standards for our students and ensuring every taxpayer dollar spent on education goes directly to the students, not some bureaucrat in D.C.

We are also working to roll back foreign influence over our nation’s students. For years, America’s adversaries, including China, have used colleges and universities to undermine our national interests, steal American intellectual property and push propaganda. Our adversaries have expanded their influence by providing American academic institutions with lucrative funding opportunities that many schools fail to report, leaving foreign actors with a stranglehold on our students.

Earlier this week, with our support, the House of Representatives passed the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act. This legislation brings much-needed transparency, accountability, and clarity to foreign gift reporting requirements for colleges and universities by lowering the threshold for reporting from $250,000 to $50,000, with an even stricter $0 threshold for countries of concern.

By removing foreign influence from our universities and beginning the process of closing the Department of Education, our education system will be refocused on what matters most: real results for American students.

If our office can ever be of assistance to you or your family, please reach out to us at our District Office in Otsego at (763) 241-6848 or Chaska at (952) 262-2999.

Sincerely,