Will Republicans End the Department of Education? Not Likely.

[Draggingtree]

:

Will Republicans End the Department of Education? Not Likely.

22 hours ago Ryan McMaken

 

In the wake of the contentious confirmation hearings for Betsy Devos as Education Secretary, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie offered a solution: abolish the Department of Education.

 

The Hill reports:

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s bill is only a page long, after merely stating the Department of Education would terminate on Dec. 31, 2018

 

Massie believes that policymakers at the state and local levels should be responsible for education policy, instead of a federal agency that’s been in place since 1980.

 

Abolishing the Department wouldn't immediately end all federal spending on schooling, of course. Many funding programs could easily be transferred to other departments, especially given Massie's time frame which gives the Department nearly two years to do so.

 

By abolishing the department, however, Massie's bill would reduce the political prominence and clout of the department, making it more difficult for the department to lobby Congress and gain influence within the White House.

 

It's a step in the right direction.

 

The Early Years of the Department

In 1979, Jimmy Carter signed into law the creation of the new US Department of Education. For many years,