NATIONWIDE – SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY) on Sunday, along with union leaders and teachers, on Sunday released a press statement opposing the total shutdown of the federal Department of Education proposed by the Trump administration, warning that New York students and families could be negatively affected by the loss of federal funding, key programs and rights protections at public schools. The senator vowed to fight to preserve the DOE.
The Department of Education contributes over $1 billion to New York state’s schools, according to Gillibrand, including for students with disabilities, English language learners and low-income schools. The state receives $2,440 per pupil from the federal government, according to Newsweek. The federal DOE also backs $1.9 billion in Pell grants for the state’s college students, as well as administering the federal student aid system, which accounts for $1.5 trillion in loans nationwide.
President Trump and GOP allies have long opposed the federal DOE, which was established in 1979, arguing that the department’s duties would be better fulfilled by the states and that it exercises inappropriate ideological influence over local school authorities. On the campaign trail, Trump characterized the department as full of “radical zealots and Marxists.” Supporters of the department say that a unified federal administration overseeing the nation’s schools improves education outcomes for students, particularly in lower-income states that could struggle without tax contributions from wealthier areas.
“President Trump’s threat to shutter the Department of Education is a reckless and unconstitutional move that would jeopardize the programs that help New York’s kids, families, schools, and communities thrive,” said Gillibrand. “The Trump administration is stealing from our children, our teachers, and our families to give tax breaks to the wealthy. It is jeopardizing our nation’s academic progress and our role in the global economy at the expense of our children, and we cannot stand for it.”
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