U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, speaks at a press conference Sept. 17, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Delia Ramirez of Illinois joined advocates Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol to blast proposed cuts to education spending.
The lawmakers and demonstrators rebuked a congressional spending panel’s bill that calls for $12 billion in spending cuts at the Education Department for the coming fiscal year and fulfills many of President Donald Trump’s education spending priorities as he and his administration seek to dismantle the agency.
Dozens of advocates from across the country marched from the Education Department’s headquarters to the U.S. Capitol to protest the proposed cuts, organized by the political arm of Popular Democracy, a network of community-based organizations across the country. The march culminated in a press conference, where Tlaib and Ramirez rallied with the advocates.
Trump outlines ‘winding down’ of agency
Trump and his administration have sought to take an ax to the Education Department in an effort to dramatically overhaul the federal role in education.
Earlier this year, Trump requested $12 billion in spending cuts at the department for fiscal 2026. A summary of the department’s request said the cut “reflects an agency that is responsibly winding down.”
“You all know, and I feel this from my heart — the fact that the current president wants to gut and completely eliminate the Department of Education is not only despicable, it is unconstitutional,” Tlaib said.
“You know the Department of Education is incredibly important for not only those living with disabilities, but different religious backgrounds, diverse communities,” she said.
The Michigan Democrat added that “without the Department of Education, we know many of our kids will be left behind, unable to receive … the education and resources.”
House and Senate bills differ
Though the House and Senate Appropriations committees share jurisdiction over funding the Education Department for the coming fiscal year, their bills stand in sharp contrast to each other.
Senate appropriators largely rejected Trump’s proposed spending cuts in their bipartisan bill, which advanced out of the committee in July. Their measure tightens requirements for the department to have the necessary staffing levels to fulfill its statutory responsibilities and prevents the agency from transferring certain programs to other federal agencies.
But the House Appropriations Committee’s bill, which also passed out of that panel, largely aligns with the president’s education agenda and spending cut priorities.
Ramirez of Illinois blasted that bill, saying it “would gut support for English language learners, funding for teacher training and retention and dismantle entire community schools.”
She noted that “in an effort to turn the clock back to when discrimination was legal, Republicans are obsessed with dismantling the Department of Education and every program that protects equal opportunity education for our children — that’s why Republicans are pushing to take away over $12 billion from our children’s public education.”