Education Secretary’s Staff Paid by Groups Seeking to Dismantle Public Schools

I urge an investigation into conflicts of interest and financial irregularities at the Department of Education under Secretary Linda McMahon. After cutting half the staff, McMahon installed at least 20 political appointees from ultraconservative groups funded by billionaire networks seeking to profit from education privatization. These organizations received over $55 million from Leonard Leo and Charles Koch networks between 2021 and 2024, according to NBC News and Accountable.US. Appointees include Lindsey Burke from Heritage Foundation, who authored Project 2025’s education section and likened federal education funding to “Amazon gift cards” for parents. Tiffany Justice from Moms for Liberty told ProPublica she hopes to reach “zero” children in public schools. These are activists, not education experts, paid to dismantle the system serving 83% of American students. The conflicts run deeper. America First Policy Institute, with at least nine staff in the department, published a 2023 paper calling for ending church-state separation and aiming to “plant Jesus in every space.” McMahon leads this organization. Meanwhile, the department withheld $167 million from Fairfax County schools and threatened five Virginia districts over anti-transgender bathroom policies that violate laws and court rulings. House Republicans proposed cutting $5 billion from Title I grants supporting 49.5 million students. The administration canceled $1 billion in funding for school mental health professionals. These actions target the 16,201 districts that educate all children without discrimination. Public schools are constitutionally mandated because they serve every child, rural communities, families without means, and students with disabilities depend on them. Private schools accept who they want and charge fees. When billionaires fund the dismantling of public education and appointees control federal policy, it’s corruption. When they threaten to withhold legally approved funds from compliant schools, it violates the separation of powers. A Senate report shows billionaire-backed groups used vouchers to create “segregation academies” after Brown v. Board, and this pattern persists. I demand investigations into financial ties between Education Department appointees and billionaire-funded groups promoting school privatization. I demand transparency over the approval of $500 million in new charter funding while mental health grants are cut. I call for accountability for withholding lawful funds from public schools. Our democracy depends on public education, and anyone working to destroy it while profiting must be held accountable!