March 13, 2025
The Honorable Mark Warner
The Honorable Tim Kaine
The Honorable Eugene Vindman
Dear Senators Warner and Kaine and Representative Vindman,
As your constituent, I urge you to stop Donald Trump from harming students and parents by dismantling the Department of Education. By closing key offices and conducting mass layoffs, President Trump is trying to bypass Congress by effectively gutting programs enacted by Congress to protect students’ education and civil liberties. You cannot let President Trump overstep his power or threaten crucial protections for students and their parents.
The Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that every child has equal access to education, regardless of race, sex, gender identity, or disability. I am deeply concerned about the impact that these cuts will have on all students, particularly on students with disabilities who would lose access to key federal programs and support. This will leave all students with less support – including for IDEA and Section 504 services, Title I funding for schools serving lower-income communities, and students needing college grants and loans.
Gutting this Department would be gutting our public education system – and leave students and educators alike with less support and fewer opportunities.
Trump is not a monarch, regardless of how many of his supporters may assert otherwise. Congress must stand up to him and act.
We can’t afford to let the Trump administration gut the Department of Education. This is an overreach by the executive branch, and the impacts will be felt by nearly every child and parent unless Congress acts now to protect our students and the civil servants who fight for them.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
James Landrith
Woodbridge, VA
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Sent via ACLU.
April 7, 2025
Dear Mr. Landrith:
Thank you for contacting me about the Department of Education. This is an issue of the utmost importance to our state and our nation, and I appreciate hearing from you.
Following a period of demand for expanded federal funding to education, Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act in 1979, establishing the Department of Education as a federal agency. Before the Department’s establishment, vulnerable communities, including low-income students, racial and ethnic minorities, women, and students with disabilities, had limited access to quality education. Today, the Department of Education’s mission is to serve American students and prepare them for global competitiveness by ensuring they have access to educational opportunities. The Department of Education administers and coordinates federal education assistance to each state. The Office for Civil Rights enforces federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination in educational spaces.
President Donald Trump has expressed his intent to abolish the Department of Education. Despite recent studies highlighting the widening gap in our education system, President Trump is proposing actions that would limit access to and funding for our nation’s schools. The executive branch does not have the authority to unilaterally abolish a federal agency without the approval of Congress. Please be assured that I will use every legislative tool at my disposal and work alongside my colleagues to ensure that the Department of Education is preserved and our students can continue to have a high-quality public education.
I believe that a well‑educated population is the key to having the most talented nation on earth. Today, the U.S. ranks 10th in the world in the percentage of people aged 25 to 34 with post-high school degrees. In an increasingly competitive global economy, the key to America’s continued success lies in improving our nation’s educational system. I am committed to ensuring that all children have access to a high-quality education, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, religion, or disability. I believe our nation must do a better job of providing opportunities for young people to fulfill their potential, and the Department of Education helps us achieve that goal.
Virginia has shown that investments in education pay dividends. Please be assured that as your U.S. Senator and as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I will continue to make education one of our country’s highest priorities.
Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Tim Kaine