Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced legislation Thursday that would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and redistribute some of its programs across other federal agencies.
The “Returning Education to Our States Act” is the latest effort to remove the department by Rounds, who said he’s been pursuing the goal “for years.”
The Department of Education was established in 1979 during the administration of Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Rounds alleged in a news release that the department’s budget has swollen ever since then without improving education.
“Local school boards and state departments of education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.,” Rounds said.
Nevertheless, Rounds’ release also said “there are several important programs housed within the Department,” which the bill would redirect to other departments. The release went on to list 25 such programs.
Critics of similar proposals have raised concerns that eliminating the department could lead to inequities in education funding, oversight and access among the states.
Calls to eliminate the Department of Education have been boosted by Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who recently issued a statement supporting the idea when he announced his plan to nominate Linda McMahon for secretary of the department. McMahon is a decades-long executive with World Wrestling Entertainment and was the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first presidency.
“We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort,” Trump said.
