1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

As your constituent in New York’s 23rd District, I urge you to oppose H.R. 899, legislation to terminate the U.S. Department of Education. Rural communities like ours rely on federal education programs to address critical challenges while upholding principles of fiscal responsibility, local autonomy, and equal opportunity. Our district’s rural schools face declining enrollment, strained tax bases, and limited access to healthcare and broadband. The Department of Education’s Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) provides flexible funding that allows districts to upgrade aging infrastructure, retain teachers, and expand mental health services without raising property taxes—a lifeline for families already burdened by inflation and rising costs. Eliminating REAP would force impossible choices: slashing programs or further taxing residents in communities where poverty and homelessness are rising. Programs like Career and Technical Education (CTE) grants align workforce training with local economic needs, empowering students to pursue careers as welders, nurses, and agricultural technicians—jobs vital to sustaining small towns. Your bipartisan advocacy for workforce development, including the CTE Student Mental Health and Wellness Act, reflects how federal partnerships can strengthen rural economies without overstepping local control. Racial equity is not an abstract issue here. Schools serving Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous students in our district receive less funding than majority-white districts. Federal Title I and IDEA mandates ensure low-income students and children with disabilities receive equitable resources. LGBTQ+ students in rural areas face unique risks, with increased rates of bullying over urban students and with many lacking access to affirming mental health resources. The Department’s Title IX protections ensure these students can learn safely, free from discrimination. Policies targeting gender-affirming care or civil rights oversight would erase these safeguards, undermining the values of dignity and opportunity we cherish. Federal education funding is also a matter of accountability. Transparency initiatives ensure taxpayers see how every dollar is spent, while programs like Pell Grants and broadband investments connect rural students to college and telehealth services. Privatizing education through vouchers, as some propose, would drain resources from public schools already battling declining enrollment and segregate students by income—a step backward for communities striving to unite, not divide. You’ve championed bipartisan solutions for rural healthcare, infrastructure, and veterans’ issues. I urge you to extend that pragmatism by rejecting H.R. 899 and defending the tools that keep our schools strong: REAP, CTE grants, and civil rights protections. Rural New York cannot afford to lose the federal partnerships that revitalize our workforce, protect vulnerable students, and ease the tax burden on families.