Education Spotlight Forum
“Dismantling Education: What the Trump Administration’s Illegal Attacks on Federal Programs Mean for Students, Families, and Educators”
December 16, 2025
ORAL TESTIMONY
Denise Forte, President and CEO

Download the Written Testimony (PDF)

Senator Hirono, members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

My name is Denise Forte, and I’m the president and CEO of EdTrust. EdTrust is a national nonprofit organization focused on closing opportunity gaps and advancing racial and economic justice in education. At EdTrust, we believe education is not just a pathway to opportunity — it is a civil right.

As I stated earlier this year, when I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at a prior forum, our nation’s democracy, economy, and future are determined by students’ access to education. Yet for far too many students — especially Black, Latino, and Native students, students from low-income backgrounds, English learners, and students with disabilities — that access is fragile.

The administration and its allies have continued their efforts to dismantle public education and remake American society as they see fit. The Department of Education has been illegally and unconstitutionally sold for parts.

“Efficiency” and “bureaucratic bloat” may be the buzz words used by the president and Secretary McMahon to justify the moves, but here is the truth: states, cities, school districts, and colleges will be buried in red tape, creating costly delays and putting essential education programs and funding in jeopardy. These disruptions don’t just slow down systems; they threaten students’ opportunities and weaken the supports families count on. EdTrust urges Congress to stop these dangerous moves by including bill language to reverse already announced transfers and prevent future transfers in any upcoming FY 2026 appropriations agreement.

This is the latest action pulled directly from the Project 2025 playbook. The actions taken by Secretary McMahon and the Trump administration are attacks on all student civil rights, including the rights of students with disabilities to receive a free and appropriate education, the financial stability of student loan borrowers, and data-driven education policies.

What’s more, budgets proposed by both the president and House Republicans make clear that they want permanent reductions to education services through a wish list of cruel policy choices and cuts that must be rejected. I urge Congress to spend more on education programs, not less.

Finally, we are now seeing the Treasury Department begin to implement a wasteful, uncapped 1-to-1 tax credit for wealthy families to subsidize their children’s private and religious school education.

Taxpayer money will prop up private institutions unbound from civil rights laws, not subject to public reporting requirements, not required to serve students from low-income families or students with disabilities, and not subject to the same state level oversight as public schools. Early indications are that Treasury will stop governors who seek to craft programs that best fit the needs of their states and families.

Make no mistake: we are living the Great American Heist. And EdTrust stands ready to fight for the future of public education and articulate a vision where investments are increased, civil rights are enforced, privatization is rejected, and opportunities are expanded for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds at every level, in every ZIP code.

Thank you. I look forward to your questions and working together to defend educational equity and civil rights for all.