Republicans on the state level, most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have taken decisive action to rein in the political motives of school boards and administrators — but now a group of GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill are attempting to address the issue on a national level.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) recently presented a proposal that, if adopted, would eradicate the Department of Education. Although such a measure is unlikely to advance through Congress or be signed into law by President Joe Biden, the Kentucky Republican nevertheless offered his defense for the bold measure.
Massie has been advocating for the abolishment of this agency throughout his career in Congress.
“There is no Constitutional authority for this federal bureaucracy to exist,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
He delved deeper into the topic with a related press release denouncing the current system of providing unelected bureaucrats with the authority to define education.
“States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students,” Massie wrote. “Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school.”
His bill was co-sponsored by eight other Republican lawmakers and comes on the heels of a similar proposal by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL).
This week I introduced legislation to abolish the Department of Education, which has become a nest of radical D.C. activists masquerading as educators pushing indoctrination schemes of radical anti-American ideas.
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) February 10, 2023
Highlighting the decades-long conservative opposition to the Education Department, Massie included a quote from former President Ronald Reagan, who came into office the year after the agency was implemented. At the time, Reagan sought to abolish the Departments of Energy and Education.
“Now, we don’t need an Energy Department to solve our basic energy problem,” he said. “As long as we let the forces of the marketplace work without undue interference, the ingenuity of consumers, businesses, producers, and inventors will do that for us. Similarly, education is the principal responsibility of local school systems, teachers, parents, citizen boards, and State governments. By eliminating the Department of Education less than 2 years after it was created, we cannot only reduce the budget but ensure that local needs and preferences, rather than the wishes of Washington, determine the education of our children.”
The Republican co-sponsors of Massie’s bill include Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Jody Hice of Georgia, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Chip Roy of Texas, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
