A series of bills in Congress are aimed at closing the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). In the Senate, the Returning Education to Our States Act, outlines where each of the USDE’s responsibilities would be transferred. The bill also proposes to convert federal education funding into block grants, which it is claimed would give states more flexibility on how to spend federal fund. That bill is sponsored by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D). Under the bill the USDE would close one year after the bill’s enactment. Rounds has said that the bill would save $2.2 billion per year. Also in the Senate, S. 1148, simply says the USDE should be terminated on December 31, 2026.
In the House, H.R. 2456, The Orderly Liquidation of the Department of Education Act, sponsored by Rep Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), proposes an Office of Education within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would include a director of education position. This would take things back to the pre-USDE days when an Office of Education resided within the old U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In addition, mirroring S. 1148, H.R. 899 states that the USDE should be terminated on December 31, 2026.
Closing the USDE requires a Senate supermajority of 60 votes. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.