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New Legislation Puts the Department of Education on the Chopping Block

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  November 22, 2024 8:00 AM

In announcing his pick of Linda McMahon for Education Secretary, President-elect Trump noted that she will “spearhead” the effort to give power back to the states when it comes to education. Trump’s choice of his former Administrator of the Small Business Administration to carry out this important task comes after he vowed on the campaign trail to close the Department of Education early in his administration. But some experts questioned whether he alone would have the ability to do that. 

Now, like-minded Republicans are looking to give him the congressional backing he may need. 

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the “Returning Education to Our States Act” on Thursday with the aim of closing the federal agency. 

The senator claimed the DOE “has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good.” 

The Department was created in 1979 with the goal of collecting data and advising schools across the U.S. on best practices. In the 45 years since then, it has grown into an oversized bureaucracy with a budget that’s 449% larger than it was at its founding. Despite the Department spending $16,000 per student per year, standardized test scores have been dropping over the past ten years, further displaying the Department’s ineffectiveness on the quality of education for American students. Any grants or funding from the Department are only given to states and educational institutions in exchange for adopting the one-size-fits-all standards put forth by the Department. [...]

Despite its inefficiencies, there are several important programs housed within the Department. Rounds’ legislation would redirect these to Departments of Interior, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Labor and State:

Department of the Interior

  • Native American-Serving Institutions Programs
  • Alaska Native Education Equity Program
  • American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program
  • Indian Education Formula Grants and National Activities
  • Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program
  • Native Hawaiian Education
  • Special Programs for Indian Children
  • Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Program
  • Impact Aid Programs

Department of the Treasury

  • William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
  • Federal Family Education Loan Program
  • Federal Perkins Loan Program
  • Federal Pell Grant Program
  • Health Education Assistance Loan Program
  • Education Sciences Reform Act

Department of Health and Human Services

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  • American Printing House for the Blind
  • Helen Keller Center for Deaf/Blind Youth and Adults
  • Federal Real Property Assistance Program
  • Special Education Grants

Department of Labor

  • All Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education programs
  • National Technical Institute for the Deaf
  • Randolph Sheppard Vending Facility Program
  • Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants

Department of State

  • Fulbright-Hays Program

"We all know local control is best when it comes to education,” Rounds said in a statement. “Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.”

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He continued: "For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education. I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year.”