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Department of Education under attack

The Department of Education established under the late Jimmy Carter’s administration in 1979 provides a numerous amount of advantages for the American public. Meg Keller Cogan, an education expert at Canisius University explains further.

“They provide a number of roles to the country. One is funding for entitlement programs, which is tons of money that are sent to states based upon [the] needs of the student population that has disabilities, as well as establishing standards for quality for the states so that there's a similar high expectation."

Donald Trump, sworn in as the 47th President of the United States this past week has his goals set on the complete elimination of the Department. The President citing the countries poor rankings in education as well as a call for more fiscal responsibility for the wanted cuts. Too completely eliminate the department President Trump would need congressional approval which is highly unlikely given the narrow majorities in the house and filibuster rules in the Senate. However, the Republican party under President Trumps leadership could significantly cut funding to the department through the budgetary reconciliation process, effectively making the department inoperable.

The loss of funding could potentially affect thousands of students and families across the country. The potential loss of funding has many educational institutions fearful to speak out. The Summit Center a not for profit agency serving individuals with developmental, social, and behavior challenges issuing a statement to WBFO saying

“At Summit Academy, we depend on government funding to serve students with significant needs across Western New York. Any cuts to this funding would be detrimental to their growth and learning, undermining the progress made towards an equitable education for students with disabilities.”

Congress passed a continuing resolution in December before their Holiday recess. The resolution will keep the government funded until March 14th and which the new republican led congress will choose funding for the rest of the year.

 

 

Jamal Harris Jr. joined the WBFO news team in October of 2024. He serves as the local host for NPR’s “All Things Considered” as well as contributing to the Disabilities Beat.