1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I urge you to block the Administration’s unlawful transfer of Department of Education (ED) roles, responsibilities, and funds to other federal agencies through interagency agreements; and to provide immediate congressional oversight.   Whatever one’s views on the size of government, this is a basic separation-of-powers issue. Congress created ED and assigned specific duties to it in statute. The executive branch cannot effectively dismantle or reassign those responsibilities on its own. If changes to ED are warranted, they must be debated openly and enacted by Congress — not implemented through behind-the-scenes administrative transfers that bypass the law and blur accountability.   These transfers also create real, practical problems for states, districts, and families, forcing states and schools to navigate different systems to access the same federal dollars and guidance; making it harder for states and schools to access federal dollars and guidance; making it harder for students with disabilities and other vulnerable student populations; and making it harder for Congress and the public to know who is accountable when programs fail or students’ rights are violated.   I respectfully ask you to conduct vigorous oversight — including hearings, briefings, and document requests — to determine the legal basis, scope, and impacts of these transfers. States deserve clarity, not chaos. Families deserve stability, not disruption. And students — especially those relying on federally protected rights — deserve consistent, expert enforcement of the laws Congress enacted.