Rep. Bonamici Condemns 'Illegal and Unconstitutional' Dismantling of Department of Education

Condemnation of Department of Education Dismantling

• 🏛️ Representative Suzanne Bonamici strongly condemns the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, calling the actions "illegal and unconstitutional."
• 📜 Bonamici asserts that only an act of Congress can eliminate the department, and the administration is attempting to circumvent this through inter-agency agreements.

Impact of Program Relocation

• 📉 Six inter-agency agreements are moving critical programs and services out of the Department of Education to other agencies lacking the necessary expertise, funding, or staff.
• 📚 Programs affected include Title One, grants for homeless youth, English learners, rural schools, literary initiatives, TRIO, Gear Up, and support for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.
• 🏫 These actions will make it more difficult for local schools to access funding, forcing them to navigate multiple federal agencies instead of one.

Public Support and Educational Priorities

• 📊 Polls indicate a majority of parents support the Department of Education, particularly parents of students with disabilities, who rely on federal resources.
• 💡 Bonamici outlines key areas for improving public education, including fostering critical thinking, creativity, arts, music, teamwork, and career/technical education.
• 📈 She emphasizes the need to invest in educational research and promote parental and community engagement, rather than politicizing education.

Immigration Enforcement and Student Fear

• ⚠️ Bonamici criticizes the administration's focus on mass deportation, citing instances of ICE agents stalking school parking lots and detaining parents in front of their children.
• 😟 Students, even as young as nine, are experiencing fear and anxiety due to immigration enforcement actions, impacting their ability to focus on learning.
• 💰 She contrasts the $170 billion allocated to Homeland Security for deportation with the perceived neglect of public education funding.

Commitment to Fighting Back

• ✊ Bonamici declares that House Democrats will not back down from fighting against the dismantling of the Department of Education and the weaponization of immigration enforcement.
• 🌍 She advocates for a "mass education plan" over a "mass deportation plan" to improve the country.