Gallego, Colleagues Call Out Trump Administration’s Illegal Move That Harm Students with Disabilities

WASHINGTON - Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and a group of 29 Senators pressed the Trump Administration to halt illegal efforts to shut down the Department of Education's administration and enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A recent report from the Washington Post revealed that the Administration is working to move enforcement of IDEA, which guarantees educational opportunities and protections for individuals with disabilities, to another agency.

"Your moves to illegally shut down the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to administer and enforce the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and potentially shift this work to another agency would reverse decades of progress in how we support students with disabilities and their families," the Senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "When Congress created the U.S. Department of Education, lawmakers intentionally placed enforcement of IDEA under this new Department rather than the Department of Health and Human Services. This was done because of our recognition as a society that students with disabilities should be treated as individuals seeking equal opportunity for learning and independence, rather than as patients and second-class citizens."

"Your latest reported effort to illegally move IDEA responsibilities, oversight, and programming to another federal agency would further erode the protections that countless mothers, fathers, educators, advocates, and students with disabilities have fought for years to build," the Senators continued.

In the letter, the Senators questioned the legality of the move and emphasized the risk of harm it poses to students. They urged the Administration to instead focus on rebuilding the infrastructure that schools and districts rely on to ensure that students with disabilities receive the education they are entitled to under federal law.

Read the full letter HERE.

11/3/25