Trump’s pledge to shut down the Education Department

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2024

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to make sweeping changes to federal agencies, including doing away with the Education Department.

This is not a new threat. Closing the department has been an off-and-on Republican goal since it was created in 1979. It is also difficult to make happen since it would require congressional approval – and it’s unlikely Trump would have sufficient support.

Still, Trump argues – and many Republicans are with him – that the department is unnecessary, ineffective and a tool of a “woke” culture war.

Today on “Post Reports,” host Elahe Izadi speaks with education reporter Laura Meckler about the implications of eliminating the Education Department and the possible ripple effects of Trump’s criticism of the agency.

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Bishop Sand. It was mixed by Justin Garrish and edited by Monica Campbell, with help from Alison MacAdam, Maggie Penman and Lucy Perkins. Thanks to Chastity Pratt.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Over the past few years, schools have been caught right in the middle of the culture wars.
0:09.4	We've heard parents protesting school closures during the pandemic.
0:18.5	School board members have argued about race and curriculum in debates about critical race theory.
0:24.6	Not in our schools.
0:25.6	It is in our school.
0:26.6	Show me in the curriculum where CRT that we cannot even define.
0:29.6	All you have to do is go to social media, sir.
0:32.6	All you have to do is go to social media.
0:33.6	In our curriculum where CRT is.
0:35.6	Okay.
0:36.6	Because we don't even have a definition for it.
0:38.3	Some states like Florida have gotten rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
0:44.3	Here's Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis speaking at a press conference in May of last year.
0:49.3	This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.
0:56.7	We are eliminating the DEI programs.
0:59.9	We are going to treat people as individuals.
1:02.1	We're not going to treat people as members of groups.
1:04.6	And now, when it comes to education policy at the federal level, President-elect Donald
1:10.2	Trump is proposing something radical.
1:13.3	One of his biggest proposals has been to eliminate the Department of Education, which has a lot of
1:18.0	people very alarmed.
1:19.6	One other thing I'll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department
	...

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