The single sentence bill would terminate the Department of Education on December 31, 2026. Massie defended the long-standing conservative goal as a move that would support public education.
"We're proud of our schools in this country, but it's time to turn in the grade card for the Department of Education. They've been at it for 40 years, and they get an F," the congressman said. "Education has not improved, but spending has doubled per pupil. It's time to return the power back to the states and back to the people and allow them to make these decisions locally."
Massie characterized the agency as a national "school board" that Congress never had the authority to create in 1979.
But abolishing a department that oversees the country's education system is likely to be as swift as the bill's length suggests. The department also manages more than $1 trillion in federal student loans.
The Student Debt Crisis Center has warned elimination of the department could shift loan operations over to another, less-experienced agency, causing confusion, delays, and a possible "breakdown in how loans are managed, leading to even more chaos for borrowers," according to Forbes.
Yet even if elimination of the department proves impossible, any number of other changes by the Trump administration — including staffing fluctuations and cuts in funding — could disrupt the system.