GOP Senator Moves to Eliminate Department of Education

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Facts

  • Republican US Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced legislation on Thursday to eliminate the Department of Education, which was first established in 1979. Rounds said he had been pursuing such legislation "for years."[1][2]
  • He said it would "eliminate" the department and redistribute all critical federal programs to other agencies. For example, Indigenous programs would be moved to the Department of the Interior and student loans to the Treasury Department.[3][4]
  • It would also return disability programs to the Department of Health and Human Services, and "research and training efforts overseas" to the State Department.[2][5]
  • Rounds said that it is time to end what he dubbed the "bureaucratic department," adding that local and state institutions "know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC."[4][6]
  • The bill comes after Pres.-elect Donald Trump vowed during his campaign to get rid of the department.[7]
  • As the Department of Education was created by Congress, Rounds' bill would need 60 votes to pass in the Senate. Next year, Republicans will control 53 seats in the chamber.[6][7]

Sources: [1]NewsNation, [2]Daily Wire, [3]ABC News, [4]FOX News, [5]South Dakota Searchlight, [6]Sodakpb and [7]USA Today.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by The Wall Street Journal. Since its inception, which was simply a quid pro quo between then-Pres. Jimmy Carter and a teachers union, the Department of Education has only prioritized federal overreach and ideological agendas over basic education. This has led to declining literacy rates and divisive curricula. Returning control to states and reallocating functions to existing agencies would improve efficiency and accountability.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic and ABC 7. The Department of Education is vital for equal access to education and the nation's democracy. It ensures funding for low-income schools, enforces anti-discrimination laws, supports students with disabilities, and distributes billions of dollars in grants and loans. Besides wasting time, expertise, and funding that is already in place, dismantling it risks deepening inequities, worsening teacher shortages, and abandoning federal accountability crucial for student success.