February 10, 2025

Trump's attack on the Department of Education

NPR  - The U.S. Department of Education was developed by Congress in 1979. It employs over 4,000 people and has an annual budget of $79 billion. Lawmakers gave the department many of its responsibilities. Trump and his colleagues have pointed to the department as a poster child for government overreach. Here’s a closer look at what the department does and doesn’t do:

🎓 The federal government contributes a small fraction of schools’ overall funding. Two key federal funding streams to public schools are Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
🎓Trump said he would close the department to give power over what is taught in schools back to states. However, states already have to determine what is taught in classrooms.
🎓 The department oversees the federal student loan portfolio, which totals around $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. It is also responsible for the mechanism that gives students to access college financial aid: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

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