By issuing today’s Executive Order to hollow out and dismantle the United States Department of Education, Felon in Chief Donald Trump is fulfilling multiple desires in continuing his and his MAGA movement’s war against knowledge, history, science, the American Dream for minorities and poor children, the disabled, Democracy, and public education along with enriching his White Christian Nationalist Plutocratic allies that are looking to fund a national private school voucher program like Arizona’s scammania one.
A major goal in the MAGA Mein Kampf, Project 2025, the closure of the Department of Education, a dream of the pro-voucher, right-wing charter school, reactionary home school, and scam conservative movement since Ronald Reagan, will have adverse national, state, and local implications for the country’s school children, especially since the promises of the Liar in Chief that programs like Title One, IDEA for special needs, and Student Loans/Pell Grants will not be touched will be broken like his previous statements to:
- Build the wall and have Mexico pay for it.
- Develop a better and more affordable healthcare plan compared to Obamacare.
- Lower prices on the first day of his second term.
- Get a peace deal done between Russia and Ukraine the first 24 hours after his return to office.
- Release his tax statements.
Any promises Trump makes to the people not belonging to his Non-MAGA White Christian Nationalist back to the Gilded Age Base should be taken for what it is: Lying Bull Fecal Matter.
Reaction has started to come in from leading Arizona Democrats on this latest assault on public school children.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs offered in a Gubernatorial Press Release:
“I am deeply concerned about the actions that are being taken to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Arizona receives almost $1 billion in ongoing K-12 education programs through the Department of Education. Arizona students also rely on the Department to access the FAFSA which unlocks Pell Grants and other financial aid. Any potential cuts to these critical funding streams and services would have far-reaching effects on Arizona students from preschool to K-12 and higher education.”
“These programs provide Arizona’s public schools with resources to support students with disabilities and students from low-income households, provide Career and Technical Education, offer preschool programs, and provide important funding for disadvantaged schools, including on tribal land and in rural areas. The Department also provides support and funding for Arizona students to pursue higher education. Now is the time we should be doubling down on our investments in public education, not creating uncertainty. As Governor, I will do everything in my power to protect education funding for Arizona’s students.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes posted:
“Another day, another illegal action by the Trump administration. The Department of Education cannot be dismantled via executive order. This chaos is not about efficiency — it’s destruction.”
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari posted on social media:
“With the support of Republicans in Congress, Donald Trump just followed through on his plan to gut the Department of Education. This means kids kicked out of kindergarten, special education slashed, and teachers fired. This reckless and irrational move will devastate our future all to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of our kids. We’re going to fight this illegal EO with every tool we have.”
Senator Mark Kelly posted:
“I’m the proud product of a good public school education. Getting rid of the Department of Education won’t improve schools or help kids in Arizona get ahead. It will further undermine public schools, making it harder for kids from working families like mine or who need a little extra help to get a good education.”
Senator Ruben Gallego posted:
“Donald Trump just gave the order to dismantle the Department of Education. He wants fewer resources for teachers and fewer opportunities for our kids—just so his billionaire friends can get richer.”
Representative Greg Stanton posted:
Arizona Senate Democratic Leader and ADLCC Co-Chair Priya Sundareshan issued a press release that read:
“Republican extremism knows no bounds and our students and teachers are not safe from their greedy power grasp. As Trump continues to take a reckless sledgehammer to the foundations of our government, Democrats at the state level are using every tool in our arsenal to combat similar Republican overreach at the Capitol. Democrats will fight for our students, teachers, and schools to get the support they deserve – we sponsored legislation that aimed to fund our classrooms, retain our teachers, and even provide free school lunches but our Republican-controlled legislature has been more interested in allowing our out-of-control voucher system to run rampant and inserting their political views into classrooms. Democrats want to prepare our kids for the future – Republicans are intent on doing the opposite.”
Arizona House Assistant Democratic Leader and Ranking Education Committee Member Nancy Gutierrez had perhaps the best response of all, recording this for social media and saying:
“Donald Trump’s illegal executive order to abolish the United States Department of Education is a direct attack on vulnerable families with the highest needs in our state. Students with disabilities and special education, Title One schools in lower-income communities, as well as rural schools and schools in Indigenous Nations. Make no mistake. It takes an act of Congress to abolish a federal agency, not a decree by a Wannabe Monarch. But this is a Rogue Administration with Republican members of Congress too Cowardly to defend their own constituents or assert their own Constitutional Authority. This Outlaw Administration has handed over your private data and banking information to Elon Musk and his cronies. And now they want to devastate and destroy public education in our state and the country. Gutting the Department of Education will be devastating for Arizona. Especially for those students and families with the highest needs Arizona students and public schools stand to lose nearly one billion dollars a year, which means more than 20,000 teachers and other education specialists could lose their jobs. This is federal funding that we sent to Washington that is being diverted. State revenues cover the bulk of our education funding but simply cannot make up for this loss. This country and our state deserve better. I have no doubt this illegal act will be challenged in court but how much damage will he do to our state? To our kids? To our economy, by sowing this chaos. And what possible purpose does it serve to undermine our public education system? And with it, our workforce development and economy. It is long past time for members of Congress to stand up for the people they represent and defend their role in the American system of government before Trump waves his wand and takes that away too.”
Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz, candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, posted this video.
Save Our Schools Arizona Executive Director Beth Lewis wrote in a press release:
“Trump’s executive order to shut down the Dept. of Education is unlawful and will be overturned by the courts. This is a blatant attempt to dismantle public education and convert federal funding for our most vulnerable students into private school vouchers for the rich. Trump and the billionaires pushing to privatize our public schools will not be successful.”
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Robert E. Branscomb also wrote in a statement:
“Donald Trump’s assault on public education will have ripple effects and disenfranchise our students. Trump is tearing down our public schools, universities, and colleagues all to pay for massive tax cuts for Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies. While Arizona MAGA Republicans and Trump take an axe to public education, Arizona Democrats are working to strengthen public education, continue to fund free school lunches, and bring more opportunities to Arizona students.”
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