Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Reports That Donald Trump Will Take Executive Action To Abolish The Department Of Education

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on reports that Donald Trump will sign an executive order to abolish the Department of Education, which will raise property taxes and harm American families and children. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Last night, reports came out that President Trump is preparing to sign an executive order to abolish – to end – the Department of Education as soon as today.

If this report is true, this would be one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.

And the main victims of this decision? American children. 

This right here is why every single Democrat said hell no to the nomination of Linda McMahon. This is why we did it – Linda McMahon is an Education Secretary who personifies nails on the chalk board.

I’ve never before heard of a Secretary who wanted a Cabinet job solely for the purpose of detonating the very agency she seeks to lead.

I’ve never before heard of an Education Secretary who wants to give every teacher in America a rotten apple. But this is where we are.

These are not just metaphors of the moment. They are the perils of the present.

This would be horrible for our schools, our school leaders, our families, and the children Secretary McMahon is supposed to serve.

The blast radius of this order will harm nearly every child, every teacher, every family, and every community in the country.

And don’t forget – defunding education means property taxes will go up to make up the funding gap.

Homeowners are about to get blindsided by the toxic brew of seeing their property taxes go up, while seeing the quality of many schools that depend on funding go down.

But nobody – nobody – will suffer more from Donald Trump’s decision than our kids.

Almost 90% of the students in the United States attend public schools, and they will suffer because of what Donald Trump is doing.

Why?

The Department of Education is a lifeline for public schools across the country. It's particularly strong in rural areas because there's not much choice. There's one school in the town.

Without federal funding, many rural schools would vanish and some schools crumble at the foundation – literally.

Education is the best investment for turning a struggling community around. Without good schools, and without the funding to support these schools, our children will be hurt, our country will be worse, the notion of an American Dream will fall by the wayside. 

Rural schools will be particularly hard hit – rural communities often only have one school in the area, and if that disappears, the communities will deteriorate. 

Kids with special education needs will be left out in the cold.

Public school teachers – already worked to the bone – will be thrown into chaos.

Class sizes will explode.

Job training programs will vanish.

School districts will be at the mercy of state budgets that already struggle to fund education.

The albatross of student debt will become insurmountable for tens of millions of Americans, many who come from working families.

Every single one of us wants our schools to do better, our students to perform better, and to eliminate wasteful spending.

Education reform is necessary.

But to make things better – to improve education – you do not use a chain saw. Using a chain saw will make things worse, because it doesn't discriminate between the funds that are needed and the funds that may be unnecessary or should be redirected.

Erasing the Department of Education in the blink of an eye is not what education reform looks like.

Donald Trump should immediately reverse course before he causes irreparable harm to our students and our classrooms.

Again, let me just repeat: you do not hire a Secretary whose very purpose is detonating the very agency she seeks to lead. That makes no sense.

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