Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement on Trump’s Dismantling of the Department of Education  

NEW YORK, NY— Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.  

“At its inception, the Department of Education was created to ensure equal access to educational opportunities for all students by providing federal support and oversight to remove barriers to equitable access to learning and achievement, and abolishing it requires an Act of Congress,” said Rep. Espaillat.  

“Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education is not only an attack on K-12 schools and higher education, but is an attack on education programs including the Federal Pell Grants and student loan programs that have helped bolster our communities and support families for generations. Without this federal support, millions of students are put at risk. Dismantling this federal agency will put equal access to quality education in jeopardy by increasing existing disparities and reducing accountability to support vulnerable students, including minority youth, persons with disabilities, and English Language Learners (ELLs). Additionally, these actions by the Trump Administration will shrink job opportunities and growth of the national workforce, weaken our global competitiveness, and create undesirable conditions for teachers, students and families around the nation.  

“Education has served as the backbone of our country for generations. We will challenge these actions by Donald Trump and Elon Musk in the courts and do all that it takes to ensure this vital federal support for educational institutions, teachers, students, and their families remains intact. The future of our nation depends on it.”

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov