Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, Senior Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement following the executive order to abolish the U.S. Department of Education:

“I am a lifelong educator. It is who I am, and I am proud of it. I served as an elementary school teacher, a Head Start Coordinator, a school principal, and a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board. Have Republicans ever been to a PTA meeting? Have they ever greeted children as they enter the school doors every morning? Have they even talked to public school teachers or students recently? I have seen firsthand how important public education is for bettering the lives of all students. But this is not just another executive order. This is something that will change the heart and fabric of America.

“Closing the doors to the Department of Education is closing the doors to opportunities for our youth. The Republicans’ inability to understand why education is crucial to the future of America is laughable and shows how out of touch they are. They are trying to break down our public education system and attack children of color. Public education serves everyone, regardless of the color of their skin: the gifted, students with disabilities, the wheelchair-bound, the mentally challenged, the sick, the shut-in, the orphan, the ungovernable, everyone! Our country will not be an international leader if its government leaves its children behind.

“Think about the implications of this decision. If we gut public schools like Republicans want to do, where are our children supposed to go? A quality education is the number one preventer of crime, and we can’t just have kids being thrown out of a public education. What is the plan for these children? What is the plan for all the teachers that will be fired? I demand to know today! How would abolishing the Department of Education affect schools in Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools? Do schools know the plan? Do states know the plan? And you know what, I wish I could ask someone in the Department of Education these questions, but there are no staff to ask since they have already been gutting the Department. I demand to have answers today on what the plan is because I know damn well the administration doesn’t have a plan.

“And let’s not forget, Congress is the only branch of government authorized to create or destroy agencies, not an unelected billionaire who doesn’t know a damn thing about education. All Congressional Republicans should stand up and take immediate action to safeguard the Department of Education’s crucial functions. Providing students with resources to help pay for higher education is not wasteful spending. Funding Head Start programs are not wasteful spending. Making sure schools enforce anti-discrimination laws is not wasteful bureaucracy. This is the bare minimum we owe our children.

“These actions will not lower everyday living costs. They will not make our lives any easier. When Republicans strip away our access to public education, to student loans, and to Pell Grants, who is impacted? Who suffers? Our children, plain and simple. We cannot allow anyone who abuses the Constitution to control the fate of American education. This executive order ignores the voices of everyday American families.”

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson is a former public-school teacher, public school principal, school administrator, and Miami-Dade County school board member.

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