Gov. Matt Meyer denounces U.S. Department of Education job cuts as the state joins another lawsuit against the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of Education announced last Tuesday it would be cutting nearly half of all of its staff, effectively gutting the department in charge of distributing federal funding to high-poverty districts and students with disabilities.
Gov. Meyer joined Democratic governors Tim Walz of Minnesota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin in condemning the cuts, noting while he supports government efficiency, changes should not be made at the cost of student success.
“Don't get me wrong, I'm all for cutting bureaucracy, but we cannot cut bureaucracy on the backs of our kids and their families. We cannot cut bureaucracy on the backs of our higher education institutions. They're actually critical to building up our economy that in the last few weeks seems to have been decimated," he said.
While Meyer holds true in his campaign promise that he will work with President Donald Trump if it means improving the quality of education for children, he believes this move only makes the idea of collaborating with the federal administration more difficult.
“We're used to having a partner, whether Democrat or Republican, in Washington who's going to work with us — who's going to work with us honestly to benefit kids... And what I'm realizing as a new governor, someone who legitimately wants to work with Washington, is that we're probably on our own with respect to Washington."
All three state leaders — who each have experience as a public educators — noted not only will high-need students and schools feel the effects of the cuts, but funding for school meals and Pell Grant recipients will also face challenges.
"The states can't totally backfill everything, certainly not on education or health care. It's impossible," Gov. Walz said. "Whether we have to go to local referendums to keep the lights on in Minnesota, we'll do everything possible — Wisconsin, Delaware and the other states. But right now, this move — undermining everything this nation stands for, everything we stand for, and I will not be ashamed to say every child should be included. Inclusion is a word that we're proud to use, and that classrooms matter."
Gov. Evers adds he's disappointed in the lack of Republican lawmaker's willingness to fight back against the Trump administration as Democrats struggle to wield power in the legislative minority.
"Republicans in Congress are dropping the ball. For some reason, they feel that the laws that they passed and that they funded don't have to be followed because Donald Trump says so. And frankly, they're abrogating their ability and the jobs that they should be doing," Gov. Evers said. "At the end of the day, the Republicans, they will rue the day that they didn't do anything and just let Donald Trump do what he was doing or is doing."
Friday, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and 20 other states — including Minnesota and Wisconsin — filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the federal education department, arguing the actions are illegal and unconstitutional.
“The Trump administration is picking the pockets of those who can least afford it,” Attorney General Jennings said in a statement. “This has never been about the budget: the entire Department of Education costs much less, and does far more good, than a single year of Trump’s tax cuts for Wall Street and the wealthy. This is about enriching people who have never set foot in a public school. It will devastate red states and blue states alike—and it’s illegal. We’re suing to stop it.”
“The devastating cuts that the Trump Administration is making to the U.S. Department of Education have nothing to do with efficiency or cost savings,” Delaware State Education Association President Stephanie Ingram added. “This is a full-scale assault on the American public education system and the critical programs that help all students – especially children living in poverty and students with disabilities – learn foundational reading and math skills."
The states argue that because the department is authorized by Congress via numerous laws that create its various programs and funding streams, the Executive Branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle it.
