Trump education department order; Wisconsin lawmakers, others react

MILWAUKEE - President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aiming to eliminate the Department of Education, sparking reaction from Wisconsin lawmakers and organizations.

The backstory:

In a room full of Republican governors on Thursday, supporters and a few young students seated next to him, Trump introduced Education Secretary Linda McMahon before signing the order and said, "hopefully she will be our last secretary of education."

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged Thursday that Trump cannot completely shut down the Department of Education, but Trump's action will make the department much smaller than it is today. It will continue managing federal student loans and Pell grants. Other critical department duties such as enforcement of civil rights will remain, she said, but she did not say how they will be fulfilled.

Trump's administration has already been gutting the agency. Its workforce is being slashed in half, and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.

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Trump signs order to 'begin eliminating' Department of Education

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aiming to "begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all."

Official statements

What they're saying:

Wisconsin lawmakers and organizations began issuing statements in response to Trump's order. Those statements are listed below in the order in which FOX6 News received them. 

Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh:

"President Trump and Republicans in Congress are once again desperately searching for programs they can cut in order to fund more tax breaks for the ultra-rich and big corporations. It’s shameful that they’re willing to jeopardize access to high-quality public education for Wisconsin kids in order to pay for more handouts to those at the very top. Republicans in Congress, including Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden, need to speak out against this announcement and work with their colleagues to protect resources for Wisconsin public schools."

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin):

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk are coming after your kids’ education so they can give tax breaks to rich guys like themselves and big corporations. Make no mistake: the goal here is to cut funding from our public schools and it’s Wisconsin families and students who will suffer. Dismantling the Department of Education will jeopardize support for students with disabilities, threaten students’ ability to get a good education, and make it harder to keep children safe. Cuts to education funding could mean teachers are fired, class sizes go up, mental health and school safety programs vanish, and students not getting the education they need and deserve. 

"Donald Trump remains hellbent on rigging the system for the ultrawealthy at Wisconsin families’ expense and I’ll fight like hell to make sure our students aren’t the ones paying for Republicans tax breaks for billionaires."

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin):

"From funding adult literacy programs to ensuring students with disabilities can access a free public education, the U.S. Department of Education is essential to communities in rural, urban, and suburban areas. It is crucial that Americans know how the Trump administration plans to continue the agency’s critical services, which include:

• Supporting school districts with high poverty rates by admninstering Title I funding, including resources and support for teachers
• Ensuring that children with disabilities receive a free public education with proper accommodations
• Administering TRIO, which includes programs that provide academic support services to more than 870,000 low-income, first-generation, and veteran students
• Enforcing civil rights laws in schools, protecting students from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, and sex in the classroom
• Administering the Pell Grant program and the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which ensures that millions of students can access grants and loans to make higher education more accessible
• Supporting adult literacy and education programs

"These are vital programs that support our children, their families, and my constituents, and I will vigorously oppose reckless proposals and cuts that threaten our future workforce and harm our nation’s future generations. Make no mistake, when Donald Trump says he wants to give education ‘back to the states,’ it means he wants to slash academic preparedness programs for veterans, cut federal funds to schools, and end adult literacy programs. While it takes an act of Congress to create or shutter a federal agency, President Trump and an unelected billionaire are getting a head start: hollowing out the agency by cutting staff and freezing funding. In response to the President’s call for legislation to eliminate the Department of Education, I will work aggressively with my colleagues to oppose any legislation to eliminate the Department of Education and continue my efforts to raise awareness of its important services to our communities."

Wisconsin Superintendent Jill Underly:

"We have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that every child – no matter their background, ability, or circumstance – has access to a high-quality education. We cannot, and will not, allow political agendas to jeopardize the vital programs and services that so many Wisconsin families depend on.

"In Wisconsin, we will continue to stand firm and will not back down from our responsibility to educate and uplift all students. We will fight for their future every step of the way."