President Trump, Facebook
The Trump Administration announced today that it will began taking steps to curb federal government overreach into public school systems around the country.
“For too long the government has imposed its will on state and local governments. The result has been education that spends more and achieves far, far, far less,” President Donald J. Trump said. “My administration has been working to reverse this federal power grab and give power back to families, cities [and] states — give power back to localities.”
The administration will conduct a 300-day review, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education’s Regulatory Review Task Force, and DeVos will be able to repeal measures which she deems to be federal government overreach. Power to educate students will return back to the states, counties, and towns.
It is the latest move in what has been an extraordinarily conservative presidency, for which Trump rarely receives credit, especially from establishment Republicans.
“We know local communities know it best and do it best,” Trump, said. “The time has come to empower teachers and parents to make the decisions that help their students achieve success.”
DeVos already has the power to repeal regulations that are deemed to be a violation of federal law, but Trump’s mandate, called the “Education Federalism Executive Order,” gives DeVos the latitude to identify and take action in areas where the federal government is simply failing schoolchildren.
“Previous administrations have wrongfully forced states and schools to comply with federal whims, and dictate what our kids are taught,” Trump said. “The time has come to empower parents and teachers to make the decisions that help their student achieve success.”
Once again, Trump is delivering on a campaign promise. He focused heavily school choice to reduce the scope of the federal government during his campaign, and his newest mandate will further his broader agenda of returning the power to educate back to localities, where it rightly belongs.