As Trump Slashes Department of Education, Arizona Democrats Stand Strong in Support of Public Schools

ARIZONA – Today, President Trump issued an executive order ordering to dismantle the Department of Education. Though Trump legally cannot unilaterally order the end of the Department of Education, today’s action potentially puts millions of dollars of federal funding for Arizona schools at risk. As students and teachers enter a stage of uncertainty, Arizona Republicans in the legislature are following in Trump’s footsteps by refusing to stand up for students and teachers.  

Senator Priya Sundareshan, Co-Chair of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, issued the following reaction: 

“Republican extremism knows no bounds and our students and teachers are not safe from their greedy power grasp. As Trump continues to take a reckless sledgehammer to the foundations of our government, Democrats at the state level are using every tool in our arsenal to combat similar Republican overreach at the Capitol. Democrats will fight for our students, teachers, and schools to get the support they deserve – we sponsored legislation that aimed to fund our classrooms, retain our teachers, and even provide free school lunches but our Republican-controlled legislature has been more interested in allowing our out-of-control voucher system to run rampant and inserting their political views into classrooms. Democrats want to prepare our kids for the future – Republicans are intent on doing the opposite.”