Federal complaint targets Boston school district for Whites-only teacher training on racism
FIRST ON FOX: The Boston Public School (BPS) system is facing a federal civil rights complaint after internal lesson plan documents were leaked showing the district was organizing racially segregated Whites-only programming for teachers and parents instructing them on how to be less racist. The parental rights advocacy group Parents Defending Education (PDE) filed a complaint last week with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Boston-area office after uncovering several internal district lesson plans and other documents showing BPS was operating racially-segregated “affinity groups” for teachers and parents. PDE argued in their complaint, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, that the White-only group instructing them to be less racist violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. “BPS appears to have affinity groups for staff that excludes certain races. There is at least one affinity group that is for ‘White Staff and Parents Challenging Racism,’” PDE’s complaint stated. HARVARD IDENTITY-BASED GRADUATIONS EXCLUDED JEWS IN NOW-DELETED WEBPAGE AS ANTISEMITISM CLAIMS PLAGUE Attached to the complaint were internal lesson plans and other curriculum materials geared toward White “affinity group” members, including a pilot curriculum for the “Mendell Affinity Group for White People Challenging Racism,” and a more general guide for the district’s “White School Leader Affinity Group[s]” that includes a mission statement, a list of norms and objectives, and several templates for activities that White-affinity group members can do to help them become less racist. “We aim to educate, support, and respectfully challenge one another as white people to face the historical and current realities of racism,” the mission statement reads. “If a district’s racially segregated teacher support programs would earn a stamp of approval from the KKK, something has gone terribly wrong – and the fact that no administrators in the district seem to have opposed this programming raises additional red flags,” Nicole Neily, the president and founder of PDE, told Fox News Digital. “It’s not rocket science: including or excluding public school staff from opportunities on the basis of skin color is wrong.” In 2023, PDE first published its findings on BPS’ racially-segregated affinity groups. Meanwhile, the year prior, PDE successfully challenged race-based school programming in another top Massachusetts school district, a move that resulted in the cessation of affinity groups that segregated students by race. Federal guidance released by the Biden administration in 2023 stated that while schools could have candid discussions with students and faculty about race and racism, they likely could not create groups that exclude people on the basis of their race or ethnicity. EDUCATION DEPT. TO INVESTIGATE RACIAL AFFINITY GROUPS AT NEW YORK CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL “Title VI generally requires schools to ensure that all their students, regardless of race, have an equal opportunity to participate in any educational programs and activities, including meetings, focus groups, and listening sessions,” the guidance states. “Restricting students’ participation based on their race would raise significant concerns and trigger strict scrutiny under [the Civil Rights Act].” Despite the federal guidance and empirical evidence that racially-segregated “affinity groups” can lead to legal action, BPS website continues to devote an entire page to district-wide “anti-racism resources,” including a section with a “Guidelines and Best Practices” document explaining why the district “needs” affinity groups “based on racial/ethnic identity.” Michele Exner, a senior adviser at PDE, told Fox News Digital that in addition to Massachusetts, she has seen these “affinity groups” pop up in other states across the country, including California, New York and North Carolina. “I think these sorts of programs start out well-intentioned, but the minute that you exclude a certain student or teacher solely based on race, that is absolutely wrong. It should not be happening,” Exner said.
Delhi Air Pollution: ‘Do not relax anti-pollution GRAP-4 curbs without informing us’, SC to Delhi government
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih pointed out that there was a delay in implementation of preventive measures under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) even after the Air Quality Index (AQI) touched alarming levels in the national capital.
Punjab: Samyukta Kisan Morcha, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announce march towards Delhi on…
The farmers will move towards the national capital in batches from the Shambhu border. Tejveer Singh of the Bharatiya Kisan Union said they have been camping at the two border points for 280 days and the Centre has not held any talks with them since February 18.
Trump’s choice for FCC chairman says agency ‘will end its promotion of DEI’ next year
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said early Monday morning that the agency’s focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) will end next year. Brendan Carr, who currently serves as the senior Republican member of the FCC, posted a snippet of the agency’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2025 on X, which stated that its second-highest strategic goal is promoting DEI. “The FCC’s most recent budget request said that promoting DEI was the agency’s second highest [sic] strategic goal. Starting next year, the FCC will end its promotion of DEI,” Carr wrote. The only strategic goal listed before promoting DEI was pursuing a 100% broadband policy. TRUMP TAPS FCC MEMBER BRENDAN CARR TO LEAD AGENCY: ‘WARRIOR FOR FREE SPEECH’ The agency said in part that it wanted to “gain a deeper understanding of how [its] rules, policies, and programs may promote or inhibit advances in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.” The goal would be reached by pursuing “focused action and investments” to eliminate any barriers that “perpetuate disadvantaged or underserved individuals and communities,” the FCC’s FY2025 budget said. “In addition, the FCC recognizes that it is more effective when its workforce reflects the experience, judgment, and input of individuals from many different backgrounds,” the section concluded. “Advancing equity is core to the agency’s management and policymaking processes and will benefit all Americans.” BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN PUSHED MORE THAN 500 ‘DEI ACTIONS’ ACROSS GOVERNMENT, REPORT FINDS The four goals listed after promoting DEI were, empower consumers, enhance public safety and national security, advance America’s global competitiveness and foster operational excellence. Carr followed up his initial post with a GIF captioned: “When it comes to the FCC’s promotion of DEI, I have just one thing to say: Afuera (get out)!” Trump announced Carr as his choice for FCC chairman on Sunday, describing him as a “warrior for free speech” and someone who will “ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.” Carr, who was initially appointed to the commission in 2017 under Trump’s first term and continued working for the agency under President Biden, has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times.
Philippines, US sign military intelligence-sharing deal to counter China
The deal allows for classified information sharing that could benefit a US ally’s defence and streamlines the sale of certain classified technologies. The Philippines and the United States have signed a military intelligence-sharing deal, in a further deepening of security ties between the two defence treaty allies as they seek to counter a resurgent China. Secretary of Defense Gilberto Teodoro and his visiting US counterpart Lloyd Austin signed the agreement on Monday during a ceremony at the Department of National Defense (DND) in the Philippine capital, Manila. The deal, called the General Security of Military Information Agreement, allows for the sharing of classified information that could benefit a US ally’s national defence, and streamlines the sale of certain classified technologies, officials said. Austin’s visit is his fourth to the Southeast Asian country and likely his last before he relinquishes his post in January when former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. In a brief statement posted on X, Austin said the US and the Philippines are “committed to deepening our alliance, strengthening regional security, and upholding our shared values in the Indo-Pacific”. Teodoro did not make any remarks at the signing ceremony, but the DND said the deal was “a critical step to enhance information sharing and deepen interoperability between the Philippines and the US”. Security engagements between Manila and Washington have deepened under US President Joe Biden and his Philippine counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders eager to counter what they see as China’s aggressive policies in the South China Sea and near Taiwan. The two countries have a mutual defence treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea. In September, the Philippines also expressed interest in acquiring the US Typhon midrange missile system, which the US brought to the country for joint exercises earlier this year. In July, the US announced it would provide $500m in military funding to the Philippines. In 2023, Austin also visited the Philippines as the two countries announced a deal allowing US troops access to four more military bases in the country. China has brushed aside an international ruling that its claims regarding the South China Sea have no legal basis, and has deployed navy and coastguard vessels that Manila says harass its vessels and stop them from accessing some reefs and islands in the waters. This has led to violent confrontations that have resulted in injuries to Filipino personnel and damage to their vessels in the past 18 months. It has also led to concerns the US could be drawn into an armed conflict due to its defence treaty with the Philippines. Following the signing of the deal, Austin also held a meeting with Marcos at the Malacanang presidential palace. The DND said Austin is also due to visit the western island of Palawan on Tuesday for a meeting with officials of the Philippine forces responsible for patrolling the South China Sea. Adblock test (Why?)
A Muslim perspective on abortion: Beyond ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’
A recent “pro-choice” billboard campaign in Chicago, designed by a progressive “reproductive health and justice” charity for Muslims, has reignited a complex conversation on abortion rights within the Muslim American community. Using social justice language of the left, the billboard has called on Muslims to align themselves with secular arguments for abortion and support “reproductive rights” fully. However, the call did not resonate with many in its target audience. Many Muslims found the position represented on the billboard failing to capture the depth of Islamic perspectives on abortion and thus unrepresentative of their world view. When I, along with other female students from the Chicago-based Muslim college Darul Qasim, wrote an open letter in response to the billboard campaign underlining its inadequacy and oversimplification of a deeply complex issue, we received an outpouring of support from the community. This was a reflection of the concerns many Muslims have over the binary framing of “pro-choice” and “pro-life” in the abortion debate. Since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a case that had found American women had the right to make their own reproductive choices, abortion has been a primary topic of discussion and source of division in communities across the country. As the issue further divided an already polarised nation before recent landmark elections, both sides of the debate began presenting their position as the only right and moral one. In this environment, Muslims found themselves struggling to sift through propaganda and politically charged misrepresentations of the Islamic positions on abortion. In fact, as one of the goals of Islamic law is preservation of life, Islam neither fully opposes nor unconditionally supports abortion. As is the case with other sensitive issues, Islam’s guidance on abortion is very nuanced and grounded in ethical principles and divine law. As the debate continues to dominate the US conversation, perhaps both the left and the right could benefit from attempting to learn from the Islamic perspectives on the issue, rather than trying to pull Muslims into their camp. So what exactly is the Islamic guidance on abortion? In Islam, decisions on issues like abortion are not based solely on personal autonomy or individual rights, as is the case in secular Western discourse. Instead, they are guided by Islamic teachings and rooted in a broader ethical and theological framework. Muslim jurists derive rulings on abortion from primary sources such as the Quran and Sunnah and carefully consider factors like the health of the mother and the viability of the fetus at different stages of its development. This approach, which respects both the mother’s welfare and the sanctity of unborn life, does not fit neatly within American political binaries but instead upholds a unique and comprehensive vision of justice. Thus, attempts by progressives, like the charity behind the Chicago billboard, to present their black-and-white views on abortion as representing the Islamic position are highly misguided. As pre-eminent American Muslim scholar Shaykh Amin Kholwadia recently noted, progressives often try to “hijack the mainstream Muslim narrative” on issues like abortion, even though their positions do not reflect those of the vast majority of Muslims globally or the traditional values and ethics of Islam. Muslims should reject such attempts, as many did in Chicago, because the Muslim position on an issue like abortion should be rooted firmly in Islam’s universal and timeless principles, and not on political trends in the West. For instance, the language of “reproductive rights” used by the pro-abortion rights movement frames the conversation on abortion as one that should be centred on personal freedom. However, Islamic ethics take a different approach. The body in Islam is considered a trust (amanah) from Allah with its care and usage governed by divine guidance rather than individual discretion. Thus, the choices we make concerning our bodies should consider our accountability before God rather than just our personal preferences, desires and rights. This principle illustrates why Muslims should look beyond the limitations of the “pro-choice” vs “pro-life” debate and take a more holistic and faith-centred approach to the issue of abortion. Rather than viewing abortion merely as a matter of individual rights, we should understand it as an issue embedded within a sacred ethical framework, one that should be handled by considering the rights of the mother and the unborn child as well as accountability in the hereafter. While some American Muslim organisations may seek to confine Islamic perspectives within secular dogma to fit in with their progressive political allies, it is essential that Muslim Americans look beyond this politically driven rhetoric. We must turn to knowledgeable scholars to guide us on ethical questions around women’s health, ensuring our perspectives are grounded in Islamic knowledge. As Kholwadia explains, with 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide, the values of Islam extend far beyond America’s borders and political climate. Our scholars have provided us with a wealth of knowledge on reproductive ethics. They have outlined the goals of Islamic law, when abortion becomes permissible, and the steps a family should take if they find themselves faced with difficult pregnancy decisions. These rulings – derived from divine sources and legal analysis – offer a framework that is deeply compassionate and centred on the welfare of both the mother and unborn child. There is nothing to be gained from reframing this vast knowledge within the “reproductive rights” rhetoric based in a belief in the supremacy of individual freedoms. When discussing sensitive issues like abortion, American Muslims must honour our robust tradition and uphold the sanctity of our bodies, which have been given to us by God. We must approach such issues with a perspective that reflects the timeless and compassionate principles of Islam. Rather than accepting progressive or other perspectives rooted in Western discourse and realities, we must reaffirm our commitment to an ethical and spiritually conscious approach to life’s most complex questions. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Philippines cleans up as Super Typhoon Man-yi leaves deadly trail
At least eight people are reportedly killed as sixth major storm hits the country in less than a month. Storm-weary Filipinos have started clearing fallen trees and repairing damaged houses after Super Typhoon Man-yi, the sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in less than a month, battered the country and left at least eight people dead. Man-yi significantly weakened into a severe tropical storm before making its way out about noon (04:00 GMT) on Monday. According to the disaster management agency in the northern province of Nueva Ecija, rain brought about by Man-yi triggered a landslide, killing seven people and injuring three others. In the eastern province of Camarines Norte, an elderly man was killed after his motorbike was caught in a power line during the storm. The national weather service PAGASA had warned of a “potentially catastrophic” consequence from Man-yi. But the early evacuation and less-than-expected volume of rain softened its effect. On Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos said Man-yi’s aftermath “wasn’t as bad as we feared”. Packing maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph) at its peak on Saturday, Man-yi slammed into the island province of Catanduanes before making a second landfall in the northern province of Aurora on Sunday afternoon. Along its path, Man-yi uprooted trees, brought down power lines, crushed wooden houses, and triggered tidal surge, landslides and flooding. In the northern province of Isabela, flooding submerged part of the city of Ilagan. Villagers clear a fallen tree caused by Typhoon Man-yi in Baler, a historic coastal town in the northern province of Aurora [Francis Malasig/EPA] Power outages across Catanduanes could last for months, provincial information officer Camille Gianan told the AFP news agency. “Most houses with light materials were flattened while some houses made of concrete had their roofs, doors and windows destroyed.” The region encompassing Camarines Norte and Catanduanes is still recovering from huge flooding that killed dozens of people in October. In the coastal town of Baler in Aurora, cleanup operations were under way to remove felled trees and debris blocking roads and waterways. “Most of the houses here are made of light materials so even now, before the inspection, we are expecting heavy damage on many houses in town,” disaster officer Neil Rojo said. On average, the Philippines gets 20 storms and typhoons every year. But since the last week of October, six have hit the country, including four this month, which the Japan Meteorological Agency said was the first time such an occurrence had been observed in November since its records began in 1951. The storms have killed at least 163 people and wiped out crops and livestock. Adblock test (Why?)
Pentagon bracing for sweeping changes after Trump nominates Pete Hegseth for secretary
The Pentagon is bracing for sweeping policy changes under the incoming Trump administration, and some high-level officers could find their careers on the chopping block. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to lead the Defense Department – an iconoclast whose pick roiled the defense industrial base. With Hegseth, the Trump administration is expected to undo diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) accommodations and training within the military. “If you want to have a sex change or a social justice seminar, then you can do it somewhere else, but you’re not going to do it in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force or the United States Marines. Sorry,” Trump said at an Aug. 21 rally in Asheboro, North Carolina. “The military brass that led these absurd and insulting initiatives will likewise be removed, and they will no longer be in command. They’re going to be gone, gone so fast.” TRUMP NOMINATES PETE HEGSETH TO SERVE AS DEFENSE SECRETARY Longtime generals and high-level officers at the Pentagon could find their jobs under threat – even those who don’t typically qualify as political appointees. “Well, first of all, you got to fire, you know, you got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,” Hegseth said on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast last week. “Any general that was involved – general, admiral, whatever – that was involved in any of the DEI woke s**t, it’s got to go,” he added. Hegseth also wrote in his recent book, “The War on Warriors”: “Our generals are not ready for this moment in history. Not even close. The next President of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired.” “At the Pentagon, you can fire generals. Unlike, say, the CIA or the Department of Justice, where it’s hard to fire senior officials, because they’re protected,” said former Rep. Chris Stewart, who has been consulting the transition team on Department of Defense matters. The transition team is considering a draft executive order that establishes a “warrior board” of retired senior military personnel who would have the power to review three- and four-star officers and recommend removal of any who are unfit for leadership, the Wall Street Journal first reported. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT Trump may quickly score favor with social conservatives and defense hawks by rolling back an executive order President Joe Biden signed that lifted a ban on transgender people from serving in the military. Transgender people were allowed to begin openly serving in the military in 2016 under an executive order of the Obama administration. But in 2017, Trump announced he would reimpose that ban. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” Trump said in a social media post at the time. Trump’s ban ordered the discharge of anyone diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and prompted a flurry of lawsuits. The Trump Pentagon is also expected to roll back a Biden-era policy allowing troops to obtain leave and reimbursement if they need to leave the state where they are stationed to seek an abortion. The policy is rarely ever taken advantage of – the Department of Defense found that only 12 people used it over the course of six months from August to December 2023. Conservatives have pushed to block the policy since Biden adopted it after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Pentagon requested funding to the tune of $114 million for DEI initiatives in 2024. That money was to be used for “programs and initiatives aimed at furthering DEIA, and incorporating DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions.” Expect a major undoing of diversity initiatives. “DEI amplifies differences, creates grievances, and excludes anyone who won’t bow down to the cultural Marxist revolution ripping through the Pentagon. Forget DEI — the acronym should be DIE or IED. It will kill our military worse than any IED ever could,” Hegseth wrote in Chapter 8. “The Left isn’t just interested in purging Trump supporters. Their ideology is based on marginalizing whatever’s normal, because they think ‘normal’ is always oppressive. By their logic, the military runs on the most normal and most oppressive thing of all: strong men. Just being a guy who hits the gym means you’re oppressing everyone around you,” he wrote. “A big reason for fewer training accidents is – less training. More time than ever is being spent on social justice PowerPoint moralizing – and meeting those metrics in today’s military is the most important standard to meet,” he wrote. “Every unit knows that social justice, trans, gender, woke training is the top priority. Not doing this training, or not doing it properly, will get a commander or junior leader fired. Not doing real field training becomes secondary.”
What is reconciliation, the tool Republicans want to use to ‘push the outer limits’ on federal policy?
Republicans are already making big plans for the 119th Congress, many of which center on using a legislative maneuver called reconciliation. GOP leaders have suggested they are planning a mammoth-sized bill to implement President-elect Trump’s tax policies, lower the federal deficit and enact conservative policies early next year. Reconciliation is a way to fast-track legislation on issues like taxes, the debt limit and federal spending by bypassing the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for passage, instead lowering it to a simple 51-vote majority. Republicans also accuse Democrats of pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable in a reconciliation bill, and have signaled they may take a similar path in pushing for stricter border security measures while loosening restrictions on American energy production. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT “Though there are Senate rules limiting what we can fit in budget reconciliation, I want us to be bold and creative so we can include as many reforms in this package as possible,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., wrote to House Republicans earlier this month. “Democrats expanded what is traditionally allowed in reconciliation, and we intend to do the same. Now is the time to go big to advance conservative policies that will make our country prosperous and secure again.” Generally, reconciliation is only used once per year, and lawmakers usually reserve it for instances where they hold both houses of Congress. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL In recent history, most reconciliation bills have been started in the House of Representatives, where the Constitution dictates tax policy must originate. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, whose committee will be at the forefront of crafting the reconciliation bill, told Fox News Digital he is already working with House GOP leaders and his Senate counterparts on the legislation. “We’re going to push the outer limits to include as much pro-growth strategy as we can. One of those would be regulatory reform,” Arrington said. “Another one will be border security and immigration reform.” The third goal Arrington raised was “to unravel the chokehold on domestic energy production.” “We have H.R. 2, and then we have H.R. 1, the two big legislative priorities for our conference – secure the border and unleash American energy,” he said. “I think the things in there that can be included in reconciliation and pass the Byrd rule. We’re going to be aggressively advancing those policies.” The “Byrd rule” refers to the Senate parliamentarian weighing a reconciliation bill for what measures are relevant to budgetary and tax policy, and what must be removed. Democrats wanted to use reconciliation in 2021 to pass progressive immigration policies that would have included granting citizenship to millions of people, including those brought to the U.S. illegally as children. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA They also attempted to include a federal $15 minimum wage in a reconciliation bill – a charge led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. But the parliamentarian ruled against both of those proposals. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It remains to be seen what Republicans will be able to include in their bill next year. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of restoration to do on the fiscal side,” Arrington said. “It’s part pro-growth strategies, and the other is part bending the curve on spending, and especially focused on mandatory spending. And I think there are a lot of straightforward ways to do it, common sense things that the American people from both sides of the political aisle will say are long overdue.”
Trump would need congressional approval to dissolve Education Department, experts say
President-elect Trump wants to abolish the Department of Education (DOE), but experts suggest the incoming commander in chief would need congressional approval before doing so. “One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states,” Trump said on the campaign trail. As Trump solidifies his agenda for a second term, attorneys explained the legal process he would have to go through before proceeding with plans to dissolve the federal department. Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor, told Fox News Digital Trump would need approval from a supermajority in Congress to do away with the DOE. BETSY DEVOS JOINS TRUMP’S CALL TO ‘DISBAND’ THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ‘RE-EMPOWER’ FAMILIES “President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate,” Stoltmann said. “So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible.” TRUMP PLANS TO SHIFT SCHOOL FUNDING CONTROL TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES, HAS YET TO PICK DOE SECRETARY Stoltmann suggested the most realistic scenario is if Trump appoints someone aligned with his agenda to head the department. “He would need 60 votes in the Senate, and the realistic chances of that are virtually zero,” he told Fox. “Trump‘s best bet is to appoint somebody who will effectively be a figurehead at the Department of Education. This doesn’t eliminate the department, but it effectively neuters it during his term.” Jamie E. Wright, a political pundit and founder of the Wright Law Firm, told Fox that to dissolve the department, Congress would need to pass new legislation that addresses the laws establishing and sanctioning the department. “To pass such a bill successfully into law would require backing from members of Congress for the president’s agenda to advance smoothly through the legislative process — an endeavor that may present obstacles should opposition arise from legislators who consider the Department of Education crucial in ensuring consistent national educational guidelines and federal funding allocation for education initiatives,” Wright told Fox. “Removing an agency could pose a challenge due to the need for widespread political backing, unity in Congress and broad public approval.” Republicans have called to dismantle the agency for decades since former President Carter established the department in 1979. Former President Reagan championed abolishing the education department and that decisions regarding schools be determined at the local level. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., introduced legislation in 2023 to “abolish the Department of Education and to provide funding directly to states for elementary and secondary education,” but the bill did not pass. If the department remains intact, there are several candidates rumored to be potential candidates to head the education unit under Trump, including his former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.