Several Massachusetts lawmakers have responded to President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order that will soon dismantle the country's Department of Education.
By signing the order, Trump is attempting to keep his word on a campaign promise to take the agency apart, which has been a longtime target of conservatives.
The White House said the department would not close down immediately and would retain certain functions like managing federal student loans and Pell grants.
You can read statements from Bay State lawmakers and teachers unions in response to the executive order below:
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren:
“This is a code red for every public school student, parent, and teacher in this country. Trump is telling public school kids in America that their futures don’t matter. Billionaires like Trump and Musk won’t feel the difference when after-school programs are slashed, class sizes go up, and help for families to pay for school gets cut. But working families, students, and teachers will pay a heavy price.”
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey:
“President Trump, Elon Musk, and Secretary McMahon have a clear education agenda: stealing from public schools to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Dismantling the Department of Education is just code for cuts to public schools, educators, students, and parents. Their anti-student, anti-family, anti-educator plan to dismantle the Department will harm every community across the country. They are attempting to privatize education, locking the promise of opportunity in an ivory tower accessible only to those born into the right circumstances.
“In Massachusetts, we know that investing in public education is the formula for thriving communities. I will never stop fighting for students, educators, families, and our future.”
A statement from Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley read in part:
“This latest executive action is despicable and unlawful behavior from a man who wants to be king and wants to harm everyone who calls this country home. It is an assault on students and educators that will undermine public education, threaten civil rights, and harm our most vulnerable students in Massachusetts and across America.
Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark:
"Trump just signed an executive order to defund our public schools. School budgets will be slashed. Academic and extracurricular programs will be cut. Classroom sizes will grow larger. Special education will be gutted. Students will fall behind. All to hand tax breaks to their billionaire donors. This twisted version of the Republican Party will stop at nothing to help the rich get richer."
A statement from the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts read in part:
“Unfortunately, the Trump Administration is, once again, using fear tactics and sowing confusion to try and implement an agenda based on misinformation and threats because the law is not on his side,” American Federation of Teachers President Jessica Tang said. “State and local governments already have authority over public schools and that is simply not what this executive order is actually going to do.”
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Originial story HERE.