1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

The president's plan to dismantle the Department of Education is deeply concerning and harmful to America's students and education system. The Department oversees crucial programs that support high-poverty schools, students with disabilities, civil rights enforcement, and the federal student loan program. Closing or weakening the agency would undermine these vital functions. While only Congress can officially abolish the Department, the executive order aims to diminish its staff, funding, and authority through unilateral actions. This overreach of executive power threatens to create chaos and disruption for millions of students and families who rely on the Department's services. Furthermore, the leaked "Project 2025" blueprint suggests moving the Department's responsibilities piecemeal to other agencies like Treasury and Justice. However, this would require complex legislative changes that lack bipartisan support. Decades-old laws explicitly assign these education functions to the Department. Rather than dismantling an agency essential to educational opportunity, I urge a collaborative, evidence-based approach to strengthen our schools and support all students. Partisan attempts to defund or reorganize the Department by executive fiat are ill-advised and likely to face legal challenges. Our children deserve better than having their futures derailed for political purposes. I implore you to uphold the Department's mandate and funding to invest in education for every American.