Duckworth Bashes Donald Trump’s Executive Order Aimed at Dismantling Education Department at the Expense of Children and Middle-Class Americans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, jeopardizing federal resources and support that millions of teachers and children in our education system depend on:
“With this reckless executive order, Donald Trump is turning his back on tens of millions of students and middle-class families across the country. Dismantling the Department of Education will needlessly jeopardize critical resources that low-income students and children with disabilities need to receive the quality education they deserve—from pre-school to college and beyond. We should be doing all we can to strengthen our education system, not taking a chainsaw to a Department that supports the future of our children, our workforce and our economy. By signing this executive order, Trump is proving he cares more about carving out tax cuts for billionaires than he does supporting our children.As a mother of two girls, I am disgusted, mad as hell and committed to doing everything I can to repair the damage done by Trump’s relentless chaos.”
Funding and support from the U.S. Department of Education in Illinois includes:
Critical annual K-12 funding to Illinois to meet the needs of 4,000 K-12 schools and over two million K-12 students, including:
Funding for Department of Education-administered workforce development programs, including:
Dispersing financial aid and supports to help students across Illinois to attend and complete college, including: $1 billion in Pell Grants reaching 226,000 students in Illinois.
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