Durbin Statement On Trump Executive Order To Demolish The Department Of Education
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order to demolish the U.S. Department of Education:
“President Trump’s dangerous demagoguery knows no bounds. Shredding the Department of Education, a federal agency dedicated to the success of the next generation, is depraved and deeply damaging to the future of this country.
“Trump’s formula for American greatness: Eliminate federal aid to schools and cut medical research. What a fool.”
Funding and support from the U.S. Department of Education in Illinois includes:
Critical annual K-12 funding to Illinois to meet the needs of 4,000 K-12 schools and over two million K-12 students, including:
- $652 million in annual funding for 295,000 students with disabilities – reflecting 15 percent of Illinois’s student population.
- $778 million in annual funding for schools enrolling 1.3 million students from low-income backgrounds – reflecting 65 percent of Illinois’s student population.
- $30 million in annual funding for about 240,000 English learners – reflecting 12 percent of Illinois’s student population.
- $57 million in annual funding to support safe and healthy students and provide a well-rounded education.
- $54 million in annual funding to support academic enrichment activities such as before and after school programs for students.
- $8 million in annual funding for students enrolled in rural schools.
- $36 million in annual funding to support children living on military bases or Native American reservations.
Funding for Department of Education-administered workforce development programs, including:
- $77 million in annual funding for career and technical education and workforce development in Illinois.
- $152 million in annual funding to expand employment and services for individuals with disabilities in Illinois.
Dispersing financial aid and supports to help students across Illinois to attend and complete college, including: $1 billion in Pell Grants reaching 226,000 students in Illinois.
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