Kaine, Colleagues Unveil Legislation to Block Dangerous Department Of Education Interagency Agreements

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), alongside U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)-all members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee-unveiled legislation to block certain Interagency Agreements issued by the Department of Education that would transfer critical offices and programs to other federal agencies that lack the staff and expertise needed to execute their missions.

Specifically, the senators' legislation would prevent the Department of Education from relinquishing the Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, Postsecondary Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Indian Education, or any programs within those offices. The bill will be voted on by the HELP Committee tomorrow.

"America's students and economy depend on the quality of our schools," said Kaine. "That's why I worked on a bipartisan solution to bar the Department of Education from transferring critical offices and programs-including those that students with disabilities rely on-to other federal agencies that lack the staff and expertise needed to carry out their work. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation when it is voted on in the HELP Committee tomorrow, and will continue to do all I can to ensure that the Department is setting students up for success."

"Transferring offices and functions from the Department of Education to federal agencies with fundamentally different missions would disrupt the effective administration of key programs that Maine students, families, and schools rely on," said Collins. "This bipartisan bill would keep these important programs within the Department of Education, where experienced personnel can continue administering them with a dedicated focus on students' educational needs."

"All children deserve the opportunity to get a good education and reach their full potential, and that includes students with disabilities, students in rural communities, and students who count on federal education programs to succeed," said Hassan. "Congress established the Department of Education and only Congress - not the Trump Administration - can decide whether to reorganize or dismantle it. This bipartisan legislation will help ensure that these critical programs remain where they belong so that students, families, and educators can continue to count on the support that they need."

"President Trump is prioritizing his half-baked campaign promise to shutter the Department of Education over our kids' wellbeing. Outsourcing education programs to other ill-equipped departments is dangerous and will have real consequences for our students who deserve better," said Baldwin. "For over a year, I've been fighting for stronger guardrails to prevent Trump's attacks on our local schools. We could have stopped this in its tracks months ago, but I'll keep working with my colleagues to reverse these changes before it's too late for our students."

The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Full text of the legislation is available here.

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