Sen. Mike Rounds sponsors legislation to ‘abolish the Department of Education’
‘The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student,’ Rounds said.
‘Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,’ he continued.
A South Dakota senator recently introduced a bill that would end the Department of Education.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced the “Returning Education to Our States Act” on Thursday. The legislation declares that the “Department of Education is abolished” 180 days “after the date of enactment of this Act.”
The legislation would move several programs and initiatives currently under the purview of the Department of Education to various other government agencies.
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For example, responsibility over the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would be passed to the Department of Health and Human Services, and jurisdiction over the Federal Pell Grant program, the Federal Family Education Loan Program, and the Federal Perkins Loans Program will be moved to the Department of the Treasury, among other changes.
Rounds’s press release announcing the bill called the Department of Education an “oversized bureaucracy with a budget that’s 449% larger than it was at its founding,” and notes that, even though the Department spends large sums on students, standardized testing results “have been dropping over the past ten years.”
Rounds said: “The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good. We all know local control is best when it comes to education. 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.”
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.”
President-elect Donald Trump recently announced his intention to appoint Linda McMahon, who heads the America First Policy Institute and previously led World Wrestling Entertainment, as Secretary of Education.
“Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” Trump said at the time.
