1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 369, entitled the States' Education Reclamation Act of 2025, which aims to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, shift educational governance back to state and local communities, reallocate remaining federal programs to other agencies like the Departments of Labor and Treasury, and disburse block grants to states. This legislation is a series of proposals, including a recent 10-bill package approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee, aiming to shift core functions of the U.S. Department of Education to other agencies as steps toward downsizing and then terminating the department. Core Goals of H.R. 369 include: -Abolishing the Federal Department of Education: Completely dissolving the cabinet-level department and repeal the programs under its direct administrative purview. -Restoring Federalism: Returning full authority over school governance, curricula, and educational policies to state and local governments, parents, and teachers. -Decentralizing Funding via Block Grants: Requiring the Department of the Treasury to issue direct education grants to states matching fiscal year baseline levels, free of heavy federal mandates. -Reassigning Specific Programs: Transferring non-repealed core functions to alternative federal departments (e.g., job training to the Department of Labor, student loans and Pell Grants to the Treasury, and special education grants to Health and Human Services). - Ensuring State Accountability: Mandating that states perform strict annual independent financial audits regarding the use and distribution of transferred grant funds. The proposed legislation includes H.R. 9607 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Workforce Development Act), H.R. 9610 (Less Bureaucracy, Better K-12 Education Act), H.R. 9611 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Higher Education Act), H.R. 9605 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Foreign Medical Accreditation Act), H.R. 9604 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act), H.R. 9606 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Child Care for Student Parents Act), H.R. 9603 (Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act), H.R. 9602 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Foreign Gift Transparency Act), H.R. 9608 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act), and H.R. 9609 (Less Bureaucracy, Better Student Aid Act). The ramifications of this bill becoming law are far-reaching and devastating: Weakening Civil Rights Enforcement: Eliminating the Department of Education removes the central federal authority responsible for investigating systemic discrimination based on race, sex, disability, or national origin in schools under Title IX and other civil rights laws. Harm to Vulnerable Students: Critical federal safety nets—such as special education grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I funding for low-income districts—would be parceled out to other agencies like Health and Human Services or the Treasury, risking administrative chaos, funding gaps, and reduced specialized support. Loss of National Educational Standards: Converting federal support into untargeted block grants to states can widen achievement gaps between wealthy and under-resourced states, as local political control may not prioritize marginalized or rural student populations equally. Unproven Transition Feasibility: Dismantling a cabinet-level department and reassigning thousands of programs and student loan portfolios across multiple distinct federal departments would create severe bureaucratic disruption without actually improving student learning outcomes. For all of these reasons, I ask you to oppose H.R. 369 in committee, in discussion on the floor, and when it comes up for a vote. Thank you.