Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) chairman John Wahl recently came out in support of President Donald Trump's proposed efforts to abolish the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
Trump has floated the idea of abolishing the DOE for years. Having won the presidency, the conversation has moved significantly outside the realm of theory.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has repeatedly stated that Trump nominated her to the position to put herself out of a job. McMahon has also said she anticipates executive action from the president targeting the department. However, it would require an act of Congress to close or downsize permanently.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the draft of Trump's executive order would instruct McMahon to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure" of the DOE while operating to "the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law."
On Monday, Wahl supported abolishing the DOE, claiming that the bureaucracy and social agendas in public education stem from federal involvement.
"The Alabama Republican Party fully supports President Trump's plan to abolish the Federal Department of Education," said Wahl. "This unnecessary agency has failed American students for far too long, and it's time to shut it down. Our teachers are drowning in red tape and social agendas prioritizing federal control over quality education. The Republican Party believes in parental rights and supporting our local teachers. The federal government should return the money spent on this bloated, big-government bureaucracy to the states where it belongs."
Wahl's position mirrors the language in the alleged draft executive order: "The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families."
Wahl continued by stating his belief that the DOE's closure would empower state and local boards of education to work with parents instead of against them.
"The Alabama Republican Party has always championed the principle that education is best managed at the state and local levels," Wahl continued. "The power to shape the future of our children should rest with parents, teachers, and local school boards—not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. The federal Department of Education has imposed one-size-fits-all mandates that often fail to address the specific challenges and opportunities within our state. President Trump's bold move to abolish this department is a significant step toward restoring local control and increasing the quality of education for our children. It's time to shut down the Federal Department of Education and put parents back in control of education."
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