Recent reports indicate the Trump administration is preparing to eliminate the Department of Education (DOE), to the dismay of Democrats who have raised questions about the legality of such a move. The Trump administration has moved quickly in its first several weeks to downsize various parts of the federal government and cut spending.
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) recently held a joint press conference in which they claimed President Trump’s plans for the DOE are “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” However, the White House has asserted that reducing wasteful government expenditure is “not a crime in the court of law” and that Democrats are “gaslighting” American citizens.
“Earlier this week, we learned that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to shut down the Department of Education,” Gillibrand stated. “This would jeopardize thousands of New York jobs, and billions of dollars in federal funding for New York’s kids, teachers, families and schools. We’re here to show them that we are ready to fight for our kids, fight for our communities and fight for our schools.”
During the Sunday press conference, Gillibrand further pointed out that Trump would require approval from Congress in order to dismantle the DOE. “What he’s doing is illegal. It’s unconstitutional. It’s unconstitutional and illegal. It’s unconstitutional because Congress is the only body that is allowed to decide how the taxpayer dollars that New Yorkers send to Washington is spent,” she said.
Gov. Hochul also warned that New Yorkers would be forced to pay if Trump succeeded in shutting down the agency. “The largest part of your local property tax bill is your school taxes,” Hochul said. “If that money evaporates from the federal government, where are they going to go? This is going to hit homeowners and businesses, and I want them to be aware of this consequence,” she said.
According to Hochul, pulling back the DOE would prevent low-income students from receiving Pell Grants. She also claimed the move would impact funding for public school nutrition programs which provide free meals for children. Gillibrand added, “This is an outrage. The Trump administration is stealing money from our kids, from our teachers and from our schools. These are New York tax dollars.”
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, Harrison Fields, responded to the rhetoric, claiming Democrats are trying to make up for an “embarrassing loss” after the results of the 2024 election, in which Trump won every swing state, the popular vote, and Republicans gained control of the House and the Senate.
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“The Democrats have no plan on how to recover from their embarrassing loss, and it shows. Instead of working to become a party that focuses on the will of the people, they are hell-bent on keeping their heads in the sand and gaslighting on the widely supported mission of DOGE. Slashing waste, fraud, and abuse, and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law,” he said.
Watch Greg Gutfeld react to the Democrats trying to storm the DOE building in D.C.: