U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5) is concerned about the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the Department of Education.
Hayes, who taught in Waterbury for 15 years and was the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, talked about the department while delivering one of the first Democratic addresses of the Trump administration.
“Any directives issued by the President to dismantle this congressionally authorized agency will be striking a blow to the American people,” Hayes said. “The future of our children, students with disabilities, students in rural and low-income communities, job training programs, and so much more.”
The DOE is responsible for protecting students' civil rights, supporting special needs programs, and administering financial aid for college students.
What doesn’t it do?
“It does not handle curriculum, does not handle instruction or instructional materials,” Hayes said. “Those decisions are already made at the state and local level by boards of education.”
President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order this month to make large program and staff cuts at the DOE. He has said the department promoted “anti-American” ideologies and recently called it a “con job.”
The department was created by an act of Congress nearly 50 years ago and would have to be closed the same way.
During a confirmation hearing for CT-raised Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, McMahon said she would present Congress with a plan to dismantle the department. McMahon said she thinks the department can be separated from federal funding for education and that the DOE can be deconstructed without affecting funding.
During her address, Hayes disagreed.
“Why should we care if the Department of Education is dismantled? It would mean slashing funds for public schools, undercutting support for children learning to read and write, and scrapping key programs for high school students just looking to get a college degree. It would mean abandoning hard-working students and educators in rural and low-income communities,” Hayes said. “Ultimately, just turning off the lights on our future.”
Hayes is the first Connecticut congressperson to give the weekly address since Senator Chris Murphy (D) delivered it in the summer of 2019. The address is given once a week by the party that doesn’t hold the presidency.
