On Monday, March 24 the NAACP filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the Trump administration’s illegal attempt to dismantle the US Department of Education. The National Education Association and other allies joined the lawsuit.
The lawsuit argues that President Trump does not have the authority to close the Department of education, and asks the court to halt the administration’s attempt to dismantle the Department immediately.
The Department of Education supports more than 50 million students and delivers nearly $120 billion nationwide to help students in grades K-12. Eliminating it would jeopardize more than 400,000 educator jobs, threaten support for 7.5 million students with disabilities, and leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination.
On March 20, NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement:
“The executive order is unconstitutional, but to Donald Trump the rule of law doesn’t seem to matter. Only Congress can establish or abolish an executive agency. Trump is not just seeking to shut down an agency, he is deliberately dismantling the basic functions of our democracy, one piece at a time.
“This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump. Don’t be fooled, Trump doesn’t have your back, he only cares about the billionaire class who will profit from the privatization of essential services, including education. As recent polls indicate, Trump’s actions are far out of line with the American people.”
