https://www.businessinsider.com/abolish-education-department-thomas-massie-doesnt-address-student-loans-2023-2
A GOP lawmaker wrote a one-sentence bill to abolish the Department of Education. His reasoning doesn't address student loans, grants, or any of the major things the department does.
It'll probably take more than one sentence to get rid of a federal agency — but one Republican lawmaker is trying that route anyway.
Last week, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a bill to abolish the Education Department, and it's a short, one-sentence read: "The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2022."
When Insider asked Massie how abolishing the department would impact programs and laws that specifically rely on the department, he said that "unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D. C. should not be in charge of our children's intellectual and moral development."
"States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable," he said. "Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school."
When Insider followed up regarding the impact eliminating the department would have on Pell Grants, student loans, and other financial aid operations, Massie's office did not respond.
Congress recently approved a $1.7 trillion budget for the government, including $79.6 billion for the Education Department. Of that funding, $45 billion is going to K-12 programs, with the majority allocated to grants for low-income neighborhoods and special-education programs, and about $30 billion is going to higher education and federal student aid funding, including loans and Pell Grants.
So if the department were to be eliminated, those programs would either be gone — or transferred to a new agency, which would preclude the budgetary savings that Republicans are hoping for.
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