The Defunding Of The Department Of Education

As a United States citizen, when you hear the defunding of our nation’s education department echoing from a President’s voice, here is where a worse case scenario becomes a first case scenario in the mind of the average American. The first thing that comes to mind is the dumbing down of our society. The second thing that may come to mind would be an increase in crime, an increase in unskilled labor and before you know it, within a few generations away we now become a full blown, lawless third world society living in extreme poverty. At least that’s what comes to mind in my mind. That’s until i did my research and quickly realized that the department of education is not that big of a deal even though if asked to vote for or against it i would be undecided, But what if it was simply just taken away i probably wouldn’t miss it that much meaning it wouldn’t impact our society in the many ways i thought it would. Lets take a closer look.

In the fiscal year of twenty twenty four, the US Department of education budget allocation accounted for less than two percent of the total federal budget at two hundred and thirty eight billion dollars, with four thousand four hundred employees with an average salary of one hundred and twenty two thousand to one hundred sixty thousand dollars annually. Our education department’s purpose is not to operate our schools nor set the curricula but to oversee student loan programs, administer Pell grants and support students with disabilities and last but not least, those living in poverty. The department of education is also responsible for the enforcement of civil rights laws designed to prevent race or sex based discrimination in federally funded schools.

Even though the defunding of the department of education isn’t something modern day America is used to hearing floating around the dinner table, it’s still safe to say that it isn’t actually a new idea and can be dated as far back as the days of Former President Ronald Reagan. This concept is also very popular among the conservatives of America. This particular administration’s issues with the Department of Education lies within their alleged indoctrination of young people with inappropriate sexual, racial and political material and pushing a woke generation ideology. President Trump’s vision for a total removal of the Department Of Education is as farfetched from reality yet still possible as was his Presidential victory over the Democratic Party, against all odds doing jailtime, bonding out and still winning the election. Lets take a closer look at how farfetched it is yet possible. Shutting down the Department is not something he can just executive order even though an executive order may slow down the department, if the president has a goal for a total shutdown is to be achieved, he will need congressional approval and not just any approval but a supermajority meaning sixty out of one hundred senators.

Currently as is, the Republican Party has a fifty three to forty seven majority in the Senate so to totally abolish the department of Education, they would need at least seven democrats on board. A vote in twenty twenty four to abolish the department of Education ended with sixty Republicans voting no.