Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky just redrew attention to H.R. 899, a bill he originally introduced in February of 2023. The bill, if passed would abolish the Department of Education. Though it has languished in the House since being introduced, Rep. Massie recently tried to draw attention to it again.
Redrawing attention to the bill in a post on X, posted on February 21 of 2024, Rep. Massie explained why it is necessary and what it would do if passed. Rep. Massie said, “I introduced a bill to end the Department of Education. We must return the money and authority back to states, school districts, teachers, and parents before it’s too late.”
Announcing the bill in February of 2023, shortly after it was introduced, Rep. Massie’s office said, “Representative Thomas Massie announces that he has reintroduced H.R. 899, a bill to abolish the federal Department of Education. The bill, which is one sentence long, states, ‘The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2023.’”
Continuing, the press release quoted Rep. Massie as saying that the DC Swamp bureaucrats should not be the ones in charge of how kids are educated, but instead the families of those kids should be involved. He said, “Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development.”
Continuing, he added, “States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school.”
The statement then went on to describe the history of the Department of Education and provide President Reagan’s quote about it. The statement provided, “The Department of Education began operating in 1980. On September 24, 1981, in his Address to the Nation on the Program for Economic Recovery, President Ronald Reagan said, ‘As a third step, we propose to dismantle two Cabinet Departments, Energy and Education. Both Secretaries are wholly in accord with this. Some of the activities in both of these departments will, of course, be continued either independently or in other areas of government.‘”
Continuing, the statement went on to quote Reagan as saying, “There’s only one way to shrink the size and cost of big government, and that is by eliminating agencies that are not needed and are getting in the way of a solution. Now, we don’t need an Energy Department to solve our basic energy problem. As long as we let the forces of the marketplace work without undue interference, the ingenuity of consumers, business, producers, and inventors will do that for us.”
Reagan then said, “Similarly, education is the principal responsibility of local school systems, teachers, parents, citizen boards, and State governments. By eliminating the Department of Education less than 2 years after it was created, we cannot only reduce the budget but ensure that local needs and preferences, rather than the wishes of Washington, determine the education of our children.”
Concluding the statement from Rep. Massie’s office noted, “Original co-sponsors include Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).“
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