Florida Democrats Condemn Dismantling of Federal Department of Education

On March 20th, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his Education Secretary to take steps to close the U.S. Department of Education, following mass firings earlier this month. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in Washington D.C. for the signing ceremony. In response, the Florida Democratic Party released the following statement.  

“The Republican anti-education agenda started in Florida,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “For years, Ron and his predecessors have targeted teachers, attempted to rewrite American history, banned books and turned our classrooms into a political battleground. As a result, Florida has the worst teacher shortage in the country and SAT scores continue to decline. Now, Donald Trump is taking this failed anti-education agenda nationwide by dismantling the Department of Education — something 61% of voters oppose. 

“This executive order is unconstitutional and orders his unqualified superdonor secretary to eliminate the department, but it won’t give states more power. Instead, it takes us back to a segregation-era education policy and rips away safety nets for millions of vulnerable students.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Ron made the trip to D.C. to spend the day as an Oval Office lapdog. Floridians deserve better than a series of victory laps and photo ops as he ends his lame duck political career. Ron needs to stop grandstanding and get back to Florida.”