FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@edtrust.org

April 28, 2026

Trump Administration Is Continuing its Unlawful and Incoherent Plans to Damage Public Education
Statement from EdTrust on the Senate Hearing regarding the FY27 Budget Request for the Dept. of Education

WASHINGTON – “EdTrust was disappointed, but not surprised, to see Secretary McMahon double down on the administration’s agenda to defund public education programs and dismantle the Department of Education in her hearing appearance today.

“EdTrust continues to oppose the billions of dollars in damaging funding cuts proposed by the administration, whose destructive and disruptive actions will reverberate throughout classrooms across the country. Secretary McMahon’s testimony did little to dispel concerns about additional threats to funding via delays, intentional withholding, impoundment, or other illegal mechanisms — claiming at one point that the Department of Education did not have to distribute appropriated funds because the Department of Justice, not federal courts, had declared some programs unconstitutional. Despite being confronted with the inefficiencies and confusion created by unlawful efforts to move programs out of the Department of Ed — which Congress has stated they have ‘no authority’ to do and has prohibited in statute — the Secretary of Education is undermining the critical federal role in education. This is most acutely seen through the abandonment of America’s students through the mass firings of civil rights attorneys and office closures, which have brought nearly all work protecting the civil rights of students — especially those who have been sexually assaulted or discriminated against due to race, gender, or disability — to a halt.

“Secretary McMahon is intent on perpetrating the Great American Heist through eliminating more resources for students and families — including direct investments, vital research, and legal protections. Bipartisan majorities in Congress should continue to reject this vision wholesale, assert their Constitutional authority, and take action to stop the administration’s war on education.”

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About EdTrust

EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where students will thrive.