(WFSB) – Multiple Connecticut leaders weighed in on President Donald Trump signing an executive order Thursday that would begin dismantling the Department of Education.
“This is a reckless assault on our kids and schools across America,” said Attorney General William Tong in part. “Donald Trump and Linda McMahon say they will just send this money to the states. I don’t believe that for a single second. They have zero plan and no authorization to do that, and they want to get rid of all the people who would be responsible for making that happen.”
Trump’s attempt to close the Department of Education has nothing to do with helping our kids learn better or empowering teachers. It’s about making it easier to sell our public schools off to the highest bidder. The billionaire class is rooting for the destruction of public education because they see your local elementary school as their next target to run for profit. Our kids will pay the price.
“The president’s executive order threatens the strength and stability of our public schools by undermining the federal government’s role in supporting education,” said Governor Ned Lamont in part. “The success of our children, educators, and economy depends on it.”
President Trump’s unlawful order to dismantle the Education Department reflects his Project 2025 agenda weakens our nation’s future workforce, and represents a complete overreach of executive power.
To dismantle the Department of Education is to dismantle the pathways to success local students use every day to build a rewarding and family-sustaining career. In just the last year, Thompson and Westbrook High Schools in eastern Connecticut used financial assistance from ED to open new and expanded welding labs which are critically important to connecting students to good-paying manufacturing jobs right out of high school. 95 percent of K-12 public schools in Connecticut’s Second District depend on federal Title I funding, which is administered by the Department, to pay teachers’ salaries and keep schools open. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is also powered by ED, which, from 2021 through 2024, cleared student loans for 1,600 teachers, nurses, police officers, and other public servants in Connecticut’s Second District who earned debt relief through the bipartisan PSLF law.
President Trump’s dismantling of the Department puts the future of these vital programs and services at great risk, making it extremely difficult for students and workers to receive the high-quality education they need to access rewarding careers. Moreover, today’s order will force the remaining employees who are the experts on these vital programs out of the federal government.
President Trump is disguising his assault on education as a mandate for efficiency when in reality it is part of his and Elon Musk’s plan to give billions to billionaires through tax cuts. This is not what the American people want. In fact, the most recent attempt to shut down the Department through the legislative process was soundly shot down by a strong bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats in Congress because it is well-known that Republican states rely on the services the Education Department provides more than blue states.
Finally, a reality check: the authority to eliminate a Department resides in the legislative branch of government. President Trump’s unconstitutional order will be taken up by the courts and, regardless of political stripe, my colleagues and I in Congress must protect our constitutional authority and the clear separation of powers.
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