Department of Education layoffs, eventual closure, imperil our nation’s children

DOE is the only agency solely focused on children

In the wake of mass layoffs at the Department of Education and an impending Executive Order to abolish the agency altogether, First Focus on Children President Bruce Lesley issued the following statement:

“Let’s start with the fact that the President cannot unilaterally dissolve any federal agency or department — only Congress can do this. The Department of Education is the one-and-only federal agency committed exclusively to children and its Secretary is the only Cabinet official dedicated to focusing solely on the needs of the nation’s children. DOE is therefore an essential force for ensuring that all of the nation’s students receive a well-supported and equitable public education.

The Department plays an indispensable role in setting academic standards. It is responsible for flagging and offering funding and guidance for challenges in the system, such as the youth mental health crisis. DOE also is the most reliable reporter of homelessness among American students, and keeps Congress apprised of new trends and research on this and many other issues that curb student success.

The Department of Education also enforces federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in school programs and activities that receive federal funding. DOE also provides vital grants and funding to underserved student groups. In an age of book bans, speech codes, the whitewashing of history and science, and anti-LGBTQ+, anti-diversity movements, these functions have never been more important. Perhaps that is the very reason the Administration is targeting DOE for destruction.

Redistributing the functions of the Department of Education to the states or other federal agencies will likely lower academic accomplishment nationwide and increase the income, racial and ability divides that already challenge our students.

We strongly urge Congress to oppose any measure to abolish or disband the Department of Education. In addition, Congress should fight any attempts to create a national school voucher scheme like the one outlined by President Trump in his Agenda 47. Instead of chipping away at the education budget for the last two fiscal years, as documented in our Children’s Budget 2024, our nation’s lawmakers should instead appropriate more — and more meaningful — funding to America’s children, educators, schools, and future.”

Read more about the Department of Education at The Alliance for Student Liberty.

For more information on school vouchers, read School Vouchers and the Growing Threat to Public Education.