Trump's Promise to Ax Education Department: A Smokescreen or Serious Plan?

Former President Donald Trump once pledged to shut down the Department of Education, but experts say it's unlikely to happen. Arne Duncan, who served as Education Secretary under President Barack Obama, recently discussed this on MSNBC. He pointed out that ending the department would need 60 Senate votes, which is a tall order with Democrats likely to oppose it.

Duncan dismissed Trump's promise as another broken campaign vow, similar to the infamous border wall. He argued that closing the department would hurt children with disabilities, who rely on federal funds for access to education. These kids come from both Republican and Democratic-voting families, making the issue non-partisan. Most education funding comes from local and state levels, not the federal government. So, Duncan suggested that Trump's proposal is more about politicizing education than genuinely helping students. It's a smoke screen, he claimed, with no real benefits for children.

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