President Donald Trump (R) recently signed an executive order directing the Secretary of Education to begin dismantling the Department of Education. To fully abolish the department however, Trump will need congressional approval. So far, lawmakers seem split on the decision, especially Georgia lawmakers.
Senator Raphael Warnock (D) came out on X with a strong statement of disapproval. He declared it to be “reckless” and an attempt to defund public education in order to pay for tax cuts.
He stated, “The deep cuts this administration is making to public education will be devastating for Georgia students.”
This sentiment was backed up by Representative Lucy McBath (D) who called the executive order “dangerous.” McBath repeated Warnock’s point that this order would negatively impact the education of Georgians.
She stated, “Eliminating the Department will make it more difficult for parents, students, and teachers to receive the resources schools need to ensure that every child has access to an education that will help them live up to their full potential.”
Representative Mike Collins (R) took the opposite stance in his statement on X. Collins’s stance is that the federal government’s involvement has been a failure and should never have started.
He stated, “I strongly support @POTUS’s Executive Order to put education back in the hands of parents, states, and communities, rather than failing federal systems.”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) concurred with Collins in her statement on X. Greene congratulated Trump and described this action as being bold.
She stated, “Now is the time to put our kids first and eliminate the Department of Education that’s failing them.”
Finally, Governor Brian Kemp (R) made his opinion known on X as well by supporting the executive order.
Kemp stated, “In Georgia, we’ve empowered parents, supported our teachers, and put students first. @POTUS executive order puts education back where it belongs: with the states.”
