President Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to abolish the Department of Education on the campaign trail, and it appears a Republican lawmaker is about to help him do it.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Friday announced that he reintroduced a bill that would eliminate the Education Department, a move that has received an outpouring of support from conservatives and libertarians.
The lawmaker announced the move in a post on X. “I just reintroduced H.R. 899, a one sentence bill to TERMINATE the federal department of education and return power back to teachers and parents.”
I just reintroduced H.R. 899, a one sentence bill to TERMINATE the federal department of education and return power back to teachers and parents.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 31, 2025
This is it, the entire bill: pic.twitter.com/2dLYVE9Iwn
BREAKING: 27 Republicans have co-sponsored Thomas Massie’s bill to abolish the Department of Education.
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) February 1, 2025
Do it. pic.twitter.com/hvLwFqNvhW
In a press release, Massie argued, “Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development” and, “States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students.”
Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home-school, public school, or private school.
During a November speech after the 2024 election, Trump reiterated his promise to do away with the Education Department.
And one other thing I'll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work and needs back to the States. We want them to run the education of our children because they'll do a much better job of it. You can't do worse. We spend more money per pupil by three times than any other nation, and yet we're absolutely at the bottom. We're one of the worst. So you can't do worse. We're going to end education coming out of Washington, DC. We're going to close it up, all those buildings all over the place. And you have people that in many cases hate our children. We're going to send it all back to the States.
President Trump is getting rid of the Dept of Education
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) November 13, 2024
What else should he abolish? pic.twitter.com/Ag4nWCxTD2
The Education Department was created on October 17, 1979, under President Jimmy Carter’s administration. It was ostensibly established to consolidate education-related programs that were spread out across various federal agencies. It was a response to increased demands for educational reform.
Republicans dominate both chambers of Congress, which might help Trump’s effort to eliminate the Education Department. However, there are likely plenty of Republican lawmakers who might oppose the idea – especially if polling shows that their constituents want the agency to remain.
Nevertheless, it is clear the Education Department has not fulfilled its stated purpose. The new National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released its annual report card showing some dismal results. Reading scores have declined severely. Math score ticked upward slightly but remained low.
Obviously, change is needed, and removing the government from education as much as possible is the clear answer.