Wyden, Merkley Blast Trump Administration for Illegally Ending Program to Help Students with Disabilities

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they are joining their colleagues in pressing the Trump administration on its illegal efforts to shut down the Department of Education's administration and enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees educational opportunities and protections for individuals with disabilities.

A recent report from The Washington Post revealed that the Trump administration intends to move enforcement of the IDEA to another agency as it tries to shutter the Department of Education entirely, despite a legal obligation to seek Congressional approval to close any federal agency or move major functions to other agencies. The Senators warned that relocating this program puts its functions at risk and will undermine its work to protect students with disabilities.

"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 wrote in their letter to Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon. "The Department of Education has unmatched expertise in protecting the rights of students with disabilities, aiding school districts in improving instructional practice for students of all abilities, and upholding federal accountability measures."

The senators questioned the legality of the move and emphasized the risk of harm it poses to students. They urged the Trump 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.

The letter was led by Senator Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Alejandro Padilla, D-Calif., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The text of the letter is here.

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