Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by Matthew Choi and Stephen Simpon
Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed concerns that federal funding and civil rights could be jeopardized by the reduction of the department.
WASHINGTON — Gov. Greg Abbott praised President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, waving away concerns that the move would create uncertainty for funding and civil rights protections in public education.
“It’s insanity that we had this massive bureaucracy at the Department of Education where we’ve been spending countless dollars of American money and not getting results for it,” Abbott said during an executive order signing at the White House. “We will get far better results by having this money go directly to the states, where the states know far better how to appropriate this money to yield better results.”
Trump’s executive order directs the secretary of education to take all legal means to close the department. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it drastically reduces the scale of the Education Department but does not fully eliminate it. Congress has the authority to create and eliminate federal agencies, and Congress allocates funds disbursed by the department.
Texas is a major recipient of federal funding for education. The Education Department oversaw over $12 billion in funds for Texas in the 2023 fiscal year, not including funds granted on a competitive basis.
Trump vowed not to stop funding for critical programs students and educators use, such as Pell Grants and student loans. He has proposed moving those programs under different agencies.
Opponents of the move have expressed concern that it will be a blow to the federal government’s civil rights enforcement. The department is the principal federal agency for protecting civil rights in public education, and it’s unclear what agency will oversee those efforts in the future.
“It makes perfect sense for Gov. Greg Abbott to be on hand for the dismantling of the Department of Education,” said Zeph Capo, labor union president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, in a statement. “It has been the only governmental entity holding his administration accountable for guaranteeing parents’ and students’ rights to a free and fair education.”
Democrats also expressed concern over the vagueness of the executive order, which does not outline what other agencies would take over the responsibilities of the Education Department, including the funding streams Trump promised to protect.
“The President’s announcement is filled with uncertainty over how critical programs will be implemented,” U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, said in a statement. “Just last year, I helped secure $163 million in Title I funds for public schools in the 34th Congressional District of Texas. This money goes to hiring teachers, helping schools purchase supplies and technology for improved learning, funding training for teachers and parents, and much more. The administration has no plan for how these funds will continue to exist.”
But Abbott said he was confident those programs will continue under a new umbrella in the federal government, though it was unclear which that would be. He also emphasized that he plans to increase funding for public schools this legislative session, including for students with disabilities and teacher pay raises of up to $5,500 or $10,000 for teachers in rural schools.
“Coming out of this session, we will be providing more funding than ever before for public schools in the history of the state of Texas,” Abbott said.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton were also at the executive order signing ceremony on Thursday.
Eliminating the department has been a priority of the right for years, and Trump repeatedly promised to do so on the campaign.
Several Democratic state attorneys general proactively sued the Trump administration earlier this month over its moves to lay off hundreds of Education Department staff. The attorneys general assert only Congress has the power to appropriate funds and set up or dismantle agencies.
Education is at the center of Abbott’s agenda this legislative session. He has expressed confidence that legislation to create voucher-like education savings accounts for private and parochial schools will pass this year. The legislation failed to pass last session, with several rural Republicans joining Democrats in voting it down, citing concerns it would reduce funding for public schools. Abbott denies public school funding will go down.
Though the effort is being advanced at the state level, several federal actors have thrown their support. Sen. Ted Cruz has been a vocal supporter of the education savings accounts, also introducing similar legislation in Congress and endorsing Republican candidates who support the measure in last year’s primaries. Both Trump and Elon Musk voiced support for the Texas legislation.
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