Oppose the States’ Education Reclamation Act of 2025

I am writing to urge you to oppose the States’ Education Reclamation Act of 2025, H.R. 369, dedicated to abolishing the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and repealing any program for which it has administrative responsibility, reallocating billions of dollars from its budget to the states. Abolishing the Federal Department of Education would eliminate crucial federal oversight, funding for low-income students,, and enforcement of civil rights protections in schools, disproportionately harming vulnerable students, increasing educational inequity, and reducing accountability for discriminatory practices, risking decades of progress in ensuring equitable access to quality education. ED ensures equitable education for all, regardless of family income or location. The ED's Office for Civil Rights investigates discrimination based on race, sex, disability, and national origin; abolishing it could make it harder for families to challenge bias, potentially shifting complex legal battles to the Department of Justice, which may require parents to have more resources for independent litigation to resolve complaints. Special populations, including students with disabilities, low-income students, and minority groups, would suffer the most from lost protections and resources. ED administers billions in federal aid, including student loans and grants, impacting K-12 schools (Title I) and higher education, affecting resources for teachers, counselors, and materials, especially in under-resourced areas. Removing federal oversight could worsen the growing gaps between wealthy and poor school districts. Approximately 7.5 million students rely on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides billions for special education services. Title I funding (roughly $18.4 billion) supports nearly 26 million students from low-income backgrounds, helping to bridge funding gaps in poorer districts, and roughly 9.8 million students in rural areas depend on federal "bridge funding" where local tax bases are limited. Also, the department manages a $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio, and acts as a consumer protector against predatory for-profit colleges. Losing this oversight could leave students vulnerable to low-quality programs. Finally, ED collects vital data to identify and address educational disparities; without it, tracking and holding districts accountable for unequal outcomes becomes difficult, and it enforces laws protecting student data (grades, medical history, family income) from misuse, a function that would be lost. States have always controlled curriculum and local operations, but dismantling a central agency may simply force 50 different states to build their own smaller, potentially less efficient versions of the same oversight bureaucracies. Case in point: converting current federal programs into block grants could allow states to divert funds away from the students who need them most. For all of these reasons, I urge you to oppose H.R. 369 in committee, on the floor, and when a vote comes up for its consideration. Thank you.