Congressional Republicans must have the “backbone” to follow through on President Donald Trump’s goal of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) said at a Breitbart News policy event on Wednesday.
“All the things that conservatives have talked about for decades, President Trump is making happen — like completely dismantling the federal role in education by eliminating the federal Department of Education. We gotta make it happen, and he needs legislative help to do that,” Banks said. “[Secretary of Education Linda McMahon] and the president are laying the groundwork for it, but Congress has to help.”
President Trump has ultimately said he wants to see the Department of Education abolished and more power sent back to states and communities, and he has quipped that he wants McMahon “to put herself out of a job.” The 45th and 47th president signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the department; however, officially ending the department would take an act of Congress, since it was Congress who created it 45 years ago under President Jimmy Carter,
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In April, Senate Republicans formally introduced a bill that would eliminate the Department of Education, in line with President Trump’s executive order. Sen. Banks is a co-sponsor of the bill, which has been referred the the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).
“There is legislation. Will it move? We have to have the backbone to make it happen,” Banks said. “I think the administration, the president, and the secretary are doing everything that they can — literally everything that they can — to set the groundwork for it.”
“Why does it matter? As a dad of three kids in high school and middle school, I don’t want the federal government involved in my kids’ education,” he said. “And when we talk about long-term gains for our country, this is a significant moment of time to get things done like that — that conservatives only talked about for 30 or 40 years, that President Trump is making happen.”
The Breitbart News policy event was held in partnership with CGCN and the AFLA Institute. Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle discussed President Donald Trump’s economic policies and recent trade deals with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has played a critical role in the White House’s America First agenda.
Breitbart News Economic Editor John Carney also interviewed Treasury Department official Joe Lavorgna, who has served as a top counselor to Bessent in the second Trump administration.
Boyle and Carney jointly interviewed James Braid from the White House—the director of legislative affairs—and Sen. Banks.
The event was the latest in a series of policy discussions between Breitbart News and Trump cabinet officials that has featured Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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