POLITICS: Hyperventilating Over the Restructuring of the Department of Education Blue state leaders and teacher union bosses descend into a meltdown. December 16, 2025 by Larry Sand – USSA News

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm-plus/the-hyperventilating-over-the-department-of-education-restructuring-is-ongoing/

In the latest wave of fearmongering surrounding President Trump’s efforts to overhaul the U.S. Department of Education, a coalition of states that sued to stop mass layoffs at the department in March is now challenging recent decisions to transfer many of the DOE’s core functions to the U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies.

The attorneys general from 20 blue states and the District of Columbia, along with several teachers’ unions, argue in an amended complaint filed on Nov. 25 that federal laws require the U.S. Department of Education to implement its own programs. The lawsuits focus on the fact that the department signed seven agreements with four other federal agencies, allowing those agencies to handle the day-to-day management of key grant programs. Under these arrangements, the Labor Department now heads up most K-12 grant programs, distributing over $20 billion annually to schools.

The National Education Association issued a ridiculous statement alleging that the moves are “illegal, cruel, and shameful.” NEA president Becky Pringle bizarrely declared, “Not only do they want to starve and steal from our students—they want to rob them of their futures. Nothing is more important than the success of our students, and America’s educators and parents will not be silent as Trump and Linda McMahon turn their backs on our students, families, and communities to pay for billionaire tax cuts.”

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten also claims that the move is not legal. “There are lots of things about the Department of Education that are in statute,” she declares, referring to funds that the department distributes to low-income families, students with disabilities, English as a Second Language learners, and work-study programs.

Let’s take a deep breath, step back, and look at the facts.

While the federal government has spent money on education and developed education policies since the 19th century, the DOE didn’t become a standalone agency until 1980, when it split off from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Its creation came about when, as a sop to the National Education Association, Jimmy Carter established it while running for reelection. Clearly, it was politically motivated, and in response, the NEA subsequently issued its first-ever endorsement in a presidential contest.