[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 68 (Monday, April 21, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ALARM AT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S DANGEROUS ATTACK ON EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 21, 2025

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Henry Peter Brougham once said, 
``Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy 
to govern but impossible to enslave.'' The Trump Administration's 
deliberate evisceration of education--from preschool to higher 
education--is a dangerous attack on our democracy that will damage our 
people, communities, and country.
  Given that education is a key factor in economic well-being, federal 
education law promotes equity and access so that students from various 
backgrounds can thrive. President Trump, with the help of Elon Musk, is 
gutting the Department of Education under the false pretense of 
returning power to the states which already have the primary 
responsibility for public education.
  In addition to cutting federal workers that oversee Head Start, 
President Trump reportedly plans to eliminate Head Start in his FY26 
Budget. Head Start reduces educational disparities so that lower-income 
children enter school ready to learn. Gutting it directly harms over 1 
million parents who rely on Head Start to work, over 800,000 children, 
and tens of thousands of workers--undermining vulnerable children and 
communities.
  For K-12 education, Trump's actions jeopardize key programs that 
improve educational success for low-income students and students with 
disabilities. Contrary to federal law, Mr. Trump plans to withhold 
Title I grants that help districts meet the educational needs of 
students with limited financial means based on his personal whims about 
curricular content. Title I assists 26 million children across the 
nation and is a principal tool to address the disparities that impact 
marginalized groups, such as Black and brown students. Further, the 
Republicans Budget plans seek to dramatically cut education funding, 
with Illinois at risk of losing approximately $793 million and 12,000 
teachers. Further, Trump's cuts threaten the Individuals with 
Disabilities Act (IDEA) that provides protection and funding for 
students with disabilities. Illinois received one billion dollars in 
IDEA funding in 2024 to strengthen education for our youngest 
Illinoisans. Federal support is vital to providing students with an 
educational foundation for success.
  The attacks on higher education are equally devastating to the well-
being of our citizens and economy, promoting a greater divide between 
the haves and have nots. This Trump Administration seeks to slash key 
federal programs that improve access to higher education, including 
Pell Grants, loans, work-study, TRIO, GEAR UP, and CCAMPIS. 
Approximately 45 percent of full-time Black students graduate from 
public four-year colleges and universities within six years, with 
finances playing a large role in this outcome. Stripping first-
generation, low-income, or minority students of the few financial and 
academic resources the government provides reduces college 
affordability and, once again, places students who are already at a 
disadvantage further from the finish line. In addition, he signed an 
executive order refusing Public Service Loan Forgiveness to non-profits 
that he does not like.
  President Trump further is targeting higher education institutions as 
if they were the enemy, withholding billions in research funds, 
removing visas from students and faculty, illegally-halting grants, and 
threatening to revoke their nonprofit status simply because their work 
does not align with the President's agenda. Illinois is home to several 
R1 institutions whose work revolves around studying underrepresented 
populations that are impacted by these decisions. I helped expand these 
federal education laws and research funding, and I will fight to 
protect them.
  The Trump-Musk administration and Congressional Republicans seek to 
demolish the educational foundation of our country to fund tax handouts 
for the wealthiest individuals and companies. I am especially appalled 
by the President's myopic focus to write race, gender, and ability out 
of history. We must remind ourselves that federal investment in 
education fosters enrichment and equal opportunities. If we allow this 
evisceration of education to continue, our country and students will 
wither.

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