WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order today to begin abolishing the U.S. Department of Education:
“The President’s decision today to dismantle the Department of Education will hurt our children and leave them less prepared for the future, just at a time when America should be working across party lines to strengthen our schools, families, and teachers.
“All across the Granite State there are vibrant public schools that provide critical public education to students from all walks of life. They do so with the essential help of the federal Department of Education, which provides funding and technical expertise to schools so that they can support children who need extra support in the classroom — children whose families are struggling financially, children who are facing mental health challenges, and children with disabilities. The challenges that these children and their families face won’t go away because President Trump and Elon Musk turn their backs on them. Instead, the decision to shutter the Department of Education will leave some children in our country without the education that they deserve and shift costs to local communities, raising property taxes.
“Our education system is challenged, to be sure, but rather than focus on how to help our local school districts provide the best possible education for all of our children, the Administration has run away from the opportunity and obligation to ensure that all American children can receive a quality education to prepare them for adulthood. Once again, Trump and Musk shrink from the responsibilities and promise of our democracy.”