Rounds Introduces Legislation to Eliminate U.S. Department of Education
Legislation would return education to local control, redistribute critical programs to existing federal Departments
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today introduced the “Returning Education to Our States Act” which would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and redistribute all critical federal programs under other departments.
The Department was created in 1979 with the goal of collecting data and advising schools across the U.S. on best practices. In the 45 years since then, it has grown into an oversized bureaucracy with a budget that’s 449% larger than it was at its founding. Despite the Department spending $16,000 per student per year, standardized test scores have been dropping over the past ten years, further displaying the Department’s ineffectiveness on the quality of education for American students. Any grants or funding from the Department are only given to states and educational institutions in exchange for adopting the one-size-fits-all standards put forth by the Department.
“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good,” said Rounds. “We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
“For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education. I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year.”
Despite its inefficiencies, there are several important programs housed within the Department. Rounds’ legislation would redirect these to Departments of Interior, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Labor and State:
Department of the Interior
- Native American-Serving Institutions Programs
- Alaska Native Education Equity Program
- American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program
- Indian Education Formula Grants and National Activities
- Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program
- Native Hawaiian Education
- Special Programs for Indian Children
- Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Program
- Impact Aid Programs
Department of the Treasury
- William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
- Federal Family Education Loan Program
- Federal Perkins Loan Program
- Federal Pell Grant Program
- Health Education Assistance Loan Program
- Education Sciences Reform Act
Department of Health and Human Services
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- American Printing House for the Blind
- Helen Keller Center for Deaf/Blind Youth and Adults
- Federal Real Property Assistance Program
- Special Education Grants
Department of Labor
- All Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education programs
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf
- Randolph Sheppard Vending Facility Program
- Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants
Department of State
- Fulbright-Hays Program
Click HERE for full bill text.
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Sort reminds me of Congress for the last years, done nothing.
So Rounds wants to redistribute the bureaucratic bloat while pretending to reduce the size and scope of government.
Clearly you don’t understand what happens at the dept of ed. This is all that would be left that the states can’t govern as individual states or at least would be difficult. ALL the rest goes back to the states for management and how to spend the money.
I want my state and local school board making these decisions not a bureaucratic monstrosity that thinks SD and CA should look the same. Or the next democrat president threatening to take our xyz funding if we don’t follow their identity politics.
Or insist boys should play on girls teams.
i suspect this is response to the main argument against school loan forgiveness – i.e. the loan payments pay for obamacare. i suspect that they’re repurposing all the federal loans that go to pay for obamacare, so there’s no actual relief and quite an increase in general suffering when trump gets his way and ahca is vaporized.
everyone who says no to trump gets the same treatment, and it’s against their wishes each time.
Agree completely with this idea. However, many of these programs and entities simply need to be implemented and/or sent to the states. This looks a little bit like just a reorganization – DOGE will need to go deeper…
So, now we know the difference between taking out the trash and rearranging the furniture. This bill represents the latter.
Yeah. Not exactly Elon and Vivek’s proposal.
I like it. Rounds is not a bathroom bill chaser or someone who just throws out red meat. This bill text and press release is methodical, realistic, and policy driven. It would mark substantial savings, trimming of federal fat, and giving more funds and decision making back to the states. It takes the wind out of the sails for the democrat detractors who just want to cry wolf against the boldly needed change the GOP takeover is bringing.
You want realistic policy options? See above.
You only want talking points for fundraising emails? Like and follow Nancy Mace, MTG, and co.
Clearly Rounds either doesn’t know how well Interior has been handling schools already under its charge or does and doesn’t care.
So…they do a bunch of important stuff but daddy wants it gone so let’s reshuffle these programs to disparate departments where everyone’s job will be harder because communication will be worse and kids will suffer the consequences. Great plan!
Is there any evidence to this statement? “For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education.“
Sounded too good to be true. Rounds is just hiding the dept of education within other agencies.Rounds and Thune are good at the shell game.
What could possibly go wrong?
Perhaps the Dept of the Treasury will put the brakes on giving loans and grants to students who barely finished high school and want to major in frat house parties and cheerleading. Maybe they will look at the borrowers and assess the likelihood of them being able to graduate and repay the money, the way bankers do.
Well said!