GOP senator debuts bill to abolish Department of Education following Trump campaign promise

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator introduced a measure to do away with the Department of Education on Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump suggested doing so on the 2024 campaign trail.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., debuted the “Returning Education to Our States Act” in the Senate, which would abolish the Department of Education and charge various other departments with certain responsibilities and programs that are currently administered by it. 

During his presidential campaign, Trump said, “One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states.” 

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Rounds debuted a bill that would dissolve the Department of Education. (Reuters/ Istock)

Some experts contested his ability to do this, noting he would need congressional approval. However, with an incoming Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., and Rounds’ bill, he might have it. 

“The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good,” Rounds said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

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“For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education. I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year,” he continued. 

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The U.S. Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross)

In the senator’s plan, a number of Native American education programs will be redirected to the Department of Interior, loan and grant programs would become the responsibility of the Department of Treasury, disability programs would be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services, career programs would move to the Department of Labor, and the State Department would become responsible for the Fulbright-Hays Program, which “supports research and training efforts overseas.” 

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U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Linda McMahon as she sits beside him after announcing her resignation, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, March 29, 2019. ( REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

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The new bill comes after Trump revealed he plans to tap Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to lead the Department of Education earlier this week. 

“It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education,” he said in a statement on the selection.