GOP unveils long-shot bills to further dismantle Education Department
A new legislative package announced by the GOP chairman of the House education committee faces major obstacles to actually becoming law.
WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans unveiled a legislative package Thursday, July 9, that would put into law much of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Education Department.
The 10 bills, which would break up the agency’s functions and officially move them to other parts of the federal government, face longshot odds of actually passing both chambers of Congress, especially before November’s midterm elections.
The legislation still underlines an acknowledgment among GOP lawmakers and even high-level Education Department officials, including Secretary Linda McMahon, that in order to officially do away with the agency, President Trump would need Capitol Hill’s approval.
“The bills would transfer key statutory authorities to agencies better equipped to carry them out while maintaining continuity for students and stakeholders,” Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House’s education committee, said in a statement. McMahon cheered the legislation, calling it a “historic step.”
Despite the legal barriers the Trump administration has faced to downsize the agency, federal officials have moved forward with the campaign promise anyway. The department’s staff was cut in half last year, and the Supreme Court ultimately allowed those firings to continue. Since then, McMahon has inked agreements with several other agencies, including the Labor Department and Health and Human Services Department, to shift work and staff to different corners of the government.
Democrats and the Education Department’s union have repeatedly denounced those changes, arguing they’ve only created more red tape, not less, and will hurt students and schools.
There are many barriers to Walberg’s bills moving forward. For one thing, the House of Representatives has struggled to pass much of anything lately, as GOP infighting has frozen the legislative schedule for weeks. Lawmakers, who will be out for most of August and October, only have a matter of weeks left in session to vote before the midterms, which could reshape the balance of power in Congress.
Even if the legislation passed the House, it would have to go to the Senate, where it would need at least some Democratic support to avoid a filibuster.
Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
