Kaine Statement on Trump Administration Gutting Special Education Office at Education Department

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration decided to lay off most of the staff in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS):

"Supporting students with disabilities should unite us all. But sadly, Donald Trump and Russ Vought are only interested in political games and gutted the office responsible for overseeing special education programs and funding-despite it having strong bipartisan support in Congress. These mass layoffs are illegal and will make it harder for the 7.5 million children with disabilities to get the services they need in school. Trump and Vought should immediately reverse these cuts and stop using a sledgehammer on critical government programs."

Kaine has consistently slammed the Trump Administration's attempts to destroy the Department of Education and has introduced legislation to reaffirm the Department's statutory responsibilities under the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and prevent the weakening of its enforcement or the disruption of critical services for students with disabilities.

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