Alarm At the Trump Administration's Dangerous Attack on Education

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Henry Peter Brougham once said, ``Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave.'' The Trump Administration's deliberate evisceration of education--from preschool to higher education--is a dangerous attack on our democracy that will damage our people, communities, and country.

Given that education is a key factor in economic well-being, federal education law promotes equity and access so that students from various backgrounds can thrive. President Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, is gutting the Department of Education under the false pretense of returning power to the states which already have the primary responsibility for public education.

In addition to cutting federal workers that oversee Head Start, President Trump reportedly plans to eliminate Head Start in his FY26 Budget. Head Start reduces educational disparities so that lower-income children enter school ready to learn. Gutting it directly harms over 1 million parents who rely on Head Start to work, over 800,000 children, and tens of thousands of workers--undermining vulnerable children and communities.

For K-12 education, Trump's actions jeopardize key programs that improve educational success for low-income students and students with disabilities. Contrary to federal law, Mr. Trump plans to withhold Title I grants that help districts meet the educational needs of students with limited financial means based on his personal whims about curricular content. Title I assists 26 million children across the nation and is a principal tool to address the disparities that impact marginalized groups, such as Black and brown students. Further, the Republicans Budget plans seek to dramatically cut education funding, with Illinois at risk of losing approximately $793 million and 12,000 teachers. Further, Trump's cuts threaten the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) that provides protection and funding for students with disabilities. Illinois received one billion dollars in IDEA funding in 2024 to strengthen education for our youngest Illinoisans. Federal support is vital to providing students with an educational foundation for success.

The attacks on higher education are equally devastating to the well- being of our citizens and economy, promoting a greater divide between the haves and have nots. This Trump Administration seeks to slash key federal programs that improve access to higher education, including Pell Grants, loans, work-study, TRIO, GEAR UP, and CCAMPIS. Approximately 45 percent of full-time Black students graduate from public four-year colleges and universities within six years, with finances playing a large role in this outcome. Stripping first- generation, low-income, or minority students of the few financial and academic resources the government provides reduces college affordability and, once again, places students who are already at a disadvantage further from the finish line. In addition, he signed an executive order refusing Public Service Loan Forgiveness to non-profits that he does not like.

President Trump further is targeting higher education institutions as if they were the enemy, withholding billions in research funds, removing visas from students and faculty, illegally-halting grants, and threatening to revoke their nonprofit status simply because their work does not align with the President's agenda. Illinois is home to several R1 institutions whose work revolves around studying underrepresented populations that are impacted by these decisions. I helped expand these federal education laws and research funding, and I will fight to protect them.

The Trump-Musk administration and Congressional Republicans seek to demolish the educational foundation of our country to fund tax handouts for the wealthiest individuals and companies. I am especially appalled by the President's myopic focus to write race, gender, and ability out of history. We must remind ourselves that federal investment in education fosters enrichment and equal opportunities. If we allow this evisceration of education to continue, our country and students will wither.

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