(The Center Square) –
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is raising alarm over an expected move to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. A Republican state legislator is excited.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order soon to direct his new education secretary to start the process of closing the federal agency.
At an unrelated news conference at a school in Champaign Thursday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker got ahead of the news. He said buzzwords and jargon can’t distract from his concerns.
“They are making deep and harsh cuts to public education that will have an immediate impact on students here in Illinois and across the nation,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker warned the move will cut funding for rural school, special education and even income-based education grants.
“This isn’t about efficiency and it isn’t about creating jobs. Trump wants to give a $4.5 trillion tax cut to his billionaire friends,” said Pritzker, who is also a billionaire.
State Rep. Chris Miller said Democrats have “Trump derangement syndrome” and are making up their own narrative to sow fear and anxiety. He welcomed the expected move to close the federal agency.
“And he’s going to move decision-making back to the states which I think is a good thing and I think … we should go further,” Miller told The Center Square.
Miller said all education policies should be shifted to give local communities the ability to have education reflect their values and morals. He hopes Trump maintains his promise to close the bureaucracy and send any saved taxpayer money back to local school districts.
“Absolutely, I think that this will be a way for the states to see the real benefit [of] the shrinking D.C. swamp-type governerning, so I think it will be a blessing for the people,” Miller said.
Illinois anticipates receiving nearly $5 billion in federal taxpayer funds for education for the coming fiscal year.
