Protecting Education for Children with Disabilities

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Hayes for her leadership and advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in defense of one of the most important civil rights laws Congress has ever passed, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and to oppose the dangerous and unlawful efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.

IDEA is not a suggestion. It is not discretionary. It is the law of the land, and for more than four decades, it has represented a bipartisan commitment that children with disabilities have the right to a free, appropriate public education, one that meets their individual needs and recognizes their full potential.

Before IDEA, millions of children with disabilities were excluded from classrooms, denied services, or told they did not belong in public school at all. IDEA changed that. It affirmed that a disability does not diminish a child's worth and that access to education is a civil right, not a privilege reserved for a few.

Today, more than 7 million students across the country rely on IDEA for individualized education plans, services, and due process protections. These are real students whose ability to learn, communicate, and thrive depends on fulfilling the promises made in Federal law.

Those promises are enforced, overseen, and protected by the Department of Education.

The Department plays an essential role in ensuring that IDEA is implemented fairly and consistently across all States. It provides guidance, oversight, enforcement, and accountability. Without it, IDEA becomes words on paper with no meaningful guarantee.

Let us be clear. People cannot claim to support students with disabilities while dismantling the very agency responsible for protecting their rights. Efforts to hollow out or get rid of the Department of Education without congressional authorization are not only reckless, they are illegal. Congress created IDEA. Congress assigned its enforcement. Attempting to undermine that structure violates the law and the Constitution's separation of powers.

Without Federal oversight, enforcement of IDEA will vary widely from State to State. A child's access to services will depend on their ZIP Code. Families will face confusion, delays, and costly legal battles just to secure what the law already guarantees their children. States and school districts will be left without clear guidance or support, increasing litigation, and diverting resources away from classrooms. Families, especially those without financial or legal resources, will pay the highest price.

The measure of our commitment to public education is how the students who need us the most are treated, and today, those students are watching.

I urge my colleagues to reject the efforts to weaken IDEA or dismantle the Department of Education. Congress has a legal obligation, a moral responsibility, and a constitutional duty to protect students with disabilities and ensure they receive the education they deserve.

I will continue to stand with students, families, educators, and advocates, and I call on this body to do the same.

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