Written by Tanya Terry
Featured photo courtesy of Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet’s Office
As originally reported by the Wall Street Journal, Trump administration officials have been weighing on executive actions to dismantle the Education Department as part of the campaign by billionaire Elon Musk and his allies to shrink federal agencies and slash the size of the government workforce.
Functions of the Education Department involve administering Pell grants and federal work study programs, as well as overseeing the Title I program. Title I provides financial assistance to school districts serving low-income students. All of these programs are funded through the federal budget.
The Executive Order reportedly would shut down all functions of the agency that aren’t written explicitly into statute or move certain functions to other departments.
Time magazine more recently reported that the Executive Order is being finalized. And experts have said the abolishment of the agency would be difficult, but they have also said it would not be impossible.
So, Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet, representative for Michigan’s 8th congressional district, recently discussed the urgency of intervening before the Executive Order can take effect.
McDonald Rivet said education holds a really special place in her heart as a parent of six kids. Her daughter is a special education teacher, and Rivet started her own career in Head Start.
“I have seen firsthand the impact that early childhood education programs and special education programs play in the lives of children and families,” stated McDonald Rivet.
McDonald Rivet said eliminating the Department of Education would be “disastrous” for our kids.
“Special education classes would be gutted,” she added. “Our most unserved communities unable to keep school doors open. Higher property taxes across the country as local districts are forced to pay for federally-mandated programming, and countless teachers losing their jobs due to a lack of funding. It’s simply unacceptable.”
McDonald Rivet pointed out there are roughly 7.5 million students who benefit from the Department of Education’s special education programs, including students with learning disabilities, developmental delays, speech and language deficiencies and much more.
“If Mr. Musk gets his way, 15% of public school students in America will not receive the programming they need to reach their full potential, and every single classroom will be disrupted,” McDonald Rivet said. “…What’s more, state and local governments do not have the resources in place to administer these programs. I know what public school budgets look like. They do not work without federal support. If Mr. Musk slashes it, localities will be forced to cut services to kids. And let me be clear, raise your taxes to close the gaps.”
Plans for how to dismantle the Department are outlined in The Project 2025 playbook. Although Trump denied he is associated with the plan, his early actions have mirrored the plan’s suggestions.
Notably, Project 2025 suggests moving the Office of Federal Student Aid, which helps support many students in the Flint area pursuing higher education, to “a new government corporation with professional governance and management.”
It is also important to note that authorizing and funding the U.S. Department of Education, as well as reviewing the department’s programs and regulations, are all functions of the Congress.
