Education

US Department of Education

97 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Changes could affect federal money for schools, services for students from low-income families and students with disabilities, and how student loans are run.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether to keep, shrink or close the federal agency in charge of federal student aid, federal money for schools and civil rights enforcement in education; a 2025 executive order directed the education secretary to work toward closing it as far as the law allows, and the department has since begun moving day-to-day work on many of its programs, including special education and civil rights enforcement, to other federal agencies through agreements.1,2,3

  1. Close the department and move or end its programs
  2. Shrink it and give states more control over federal school money
  3. Keep the department and its programs, or expand it

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Close the department and move or end its programs (18)

  • Steve G. Parsons AR-1
    His campaign website lists the Department of Education among the federal agencies to cut or eliminate and says the Constitution gives the federal government no authority over education.4
  • Lauren Boebert CO-4
    Her campaign's Contract with Colorado says there should not be a federal Department of Education.5
  • Christopher Mitchell CO-5
    His campaign website names the U.S. Department of Education as a department he would introduce legislation to eliminate.6
  • Ralph Groves FL-11
    His campaign website says he applauds the abolition of the federal Department of Education and that states should manage education without federal regulation.7
  • Jim Schwartzel FL-19
    His campaign website says he will work to privatize government functions, including defunding the Department of Education.8
  • Andrew Clyde GA-9
    His campaign website says the Department of Education must go, and that its functions should be left to the states.9
  • Marlin A. Stutzman IN-3
    His campaign website says education is the responsibility of parents first, with state governments working in partnership with parents and local communities, and that the federal Department of Education needs to be abolished.10
  • Mike Saliba MI-10
    His campaign website says he pledges to support H.R. 899 and its 2025 successor to terminate the Department of Education.11
  • James D. Hooper MI-12
    His campaign website's 2022 Issues and About pages say he will push to shrink the federal Department of Education quickly and then abolish it, handing full control of education back to states and localities.12,13
  • Tom Emmer MN-6
    It also says he is working to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.14
  • Brandon Coulter Daugherty MO-2
    His campaign website calls for abolishing the Department of Education, along with the FBI and the EPA, saying such agencies waste money, overregulate and target Americans.15
  • Andy Maidment MO-6
    His campaign website lists eliminating federal departments it says have no constitutional basis, starting with Education, Commerce and Homeland Security.16
  • Kevin Craig MO-7
    His campaign website says the first spending cut should be abolishing the Department of Education and returning education to parents.17
  • Lily Tang Williams NH-2
    Her campaign website says education is a states' rights issue and that the federal Department of Education should be abolished and federal laws that govern K-12 schools repealed.18
  • Justin Murphy NJ Senate
    His campaign website says he would abolish the federal Department of Education and divide its budget among local school boards for public education and school voucher programs.19
  • William B. Redpath OH Senate special
    His campaign website calls for eliminating the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.20,21
  • Mike Rounds SD Senate
    His campaign website says he is working with President Trump to lead the effort to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, and that he favors local control of education.22
  • Ted Brown TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would abolish the U.S. Department of Education.23

Shrink it and give states more control over federal school money (2)

  • Kevin E. Martin GA-6
    His campaign website says he would send federal education money back to the states without federal strings and shrink the federal education bureaucracy, which he describes as producing compliance work rather than better outcomes.24
  • James T. "Jim" Marter IL-14
    His campaign website says the federal government has failed with Common Core and the Department of Education, and that its role in education must be reduced.25

Keep the department and its programs, or expand it (43)

  • Lee McInnis AL-3
    His campaign website lists among his goals restoring the Department of Education, including its civil rights and Title IX enforcement offices.26
  • Terri Sewell AL-7
    Her campaign website says she opposes efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, which it says could cut funding for teachers, counselors, special education, school meals and after-school programs.27
  • Mike McGuire CA-1
    His campaign's rural plan says he would restore full funding and operations to the U.S. Department of Education and its Office for Civil Rights.28
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website opposes the attempted closing of the Department of Education and says she would fully fund federal mandates on public schools, including special education.29
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says he would reverse cuts to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, help pass full funding of IDEA for students with disabilities and increase Title I and Title III funding.30
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says minimum staffing levels should be set in law for agencies such as the Department of Education, and that he would triple rural education and Title I funding and have the federal government cover 40% of special education costs under IDEA.31
  • Tessa Lynn Hodge CA-23
    Her campaign website says the U.S. Department of Education cannot be eliminated, citing its programs for rural schools such as the Rural and Low-Income School Program and the Small, Rural School Achievement Program.32
  • Robert Garcia CA-42
    His campaign website says he has strongly opposed President Trump's cuts to the Department of Education.33
  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says she cosponsored the Department of Education Protection Act to keep federal funds from being used to dismantle the department.34
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for restoring the Education Department's enforcement staff and auditing how Title I money was distributed while enforcement was reduced.35
  • Jennifer Jenkins FL-8
    Her campaign website says she will protect the U.S. Department of Education and federal civil rights enforcement in schools, fully fund special education under IDEA and expand Title I.36
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform says she will oppose efforts to eliminate or weaken the federal role in protecting educational access, special education, civil rights and financial aid, and supports more federal investment in public education.37
  • Amanda Hollowell GA-1
    Her 10 Point Affordability Agenda calls for reversing cuts to the Department of Education and restoring Title I funding.38
  • Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. GA-4
    His campaign website says he strongly opposes the Trump administration’s cuts to the Department of Education and its attempts to dismantle it.39
  • Nikema Williams GA-5
    Her campaign website says she is fighting back against the Trump administration’s attacks on the Department of Education and on teachers.40
  • Shawn Harris GA-14
    His campaign website says he would restore the Department of Education.41
  • Josh Turek IA Senate
    His campaign website says he would restore Department of Education funding.42
  • Lindsay James IA-2
    Her campaign website says she wants to protect the Department of Education and calls its dismantling by President Trump wrong.43
  • Sarah Trone Garriott IA-3
    Her campaign website says she will work to protect the Department of Education and the federal dollars that flow to Iowa classrooms each year.44
  • Jonathan L. Jackson IL-1
    His official biography says he supported H.R. 433, the Department of Education Protection Act, which would prohibit funds from being used to reorganize the department.45
  • Sean Casten IL-6
    His campaign website says he continues to fight to protect the U.S. Department of Education.46
  • Melissa L. Bean IL-8
    Her campaign website says she will fight to restore the U.S. Department of Education and the funding it provides to community schools.47
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will work to stop cuts to the U.S. Department of Education and ensure it is adequately funded and staffed.48
  • Bill Foster IL-11
    His campaign website says he will fight efforts to gut the U.S. Department of Education.49
  • Juliana Stratton IL Senate
    Her campaign website says she would restore the Department of Education.50
  • Mary Allen IN-8
    Her campaign website says she will fight to protect the Department of Education, saying the current administration is dismantling it.51
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website says he would protect the Department of Education and that efforts to eliminate it remove oversight and accountability.52,53
  • Mikel Wein KY-5
    His campaign website says the Department of Education is being dismantled and lists re-funding the department and existing federal education programs among actions needed immediately.54
  • Zach Dembo KY-6
    His campaign website says the administration and Congress have taken a step in the wrong direction by basically eliminating the Department of Education and its ability to help, and says he will fight to fully fund public schools and jobs training programs.55
  • "Jamie" Davis LA Senate
    His campaign website says he wants an effective U.S. Department of Education that strengthens public schools and stands up for students with individualized education programs.56
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says she will fight to fully fund the federal special education law (IDEA) and keep it at the Department of Education rather than scattered across agencies, and says dismantling the department strips away oversight of protections for students with disabilities.57
  • John "Johnny O" Olszewski, Jr. MD-2
    His campaign website says he is standing up to efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and cut federal support for special education and for schools in low-income communities.58
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says that, with the Trump administration trying to close the Department of Education, Congress must act quickly to help reverse the administration's actions.59
  • Christina Bertrand Hines MI-10
    Her disability rights topic page says the effort to dismantle the Department of Education and shift oversight of special education to the Department of Health and Human Services would harm more than 9 million students with disabilities, and her education topic page says she would ramp up the federal share of special education costs to the full 40%.60,61
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he would support public schools rather than dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.62
  • DeVelle L. Jackson MN-5
    It says he is against breaking up the U.S. Department of Education or cutting the federal support it provides for research, student aid, Pell Grants, special education, civil rights and under-resourced schools.63
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says the Department of Education should be kept open.64
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Voter Contract page says he does not support eliminating the federal Department of Education, and his Issues page says he does not think it was wise to shut it down and describes the programs it oversees as vital.65,66
  • Richard N. Ojeda II NC-9
    His campaign website's Protecting Education page says he would defend the Department of Education and public schools and would fight efforts to dismantle the department. It also says he would seek federal funding for rural schools.67
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website says rural schools rely on federal funds from the Department of Education and that eliminating it would likely force school consolidations.68
  • Maggie Goodlander NH-2
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments challenging, in court, efforts to close the Department of Education.69
  • Adam Hamawy NJ-12
    His campaign website says he will fight efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and work to build a department that is stronger and more effective than before.70
  • James Talarico TX Senate
    His campaign website says he opposes efforts in Washington to sharply cut the U.S. Department of Education.71

Statements that don't match one option (34)

  • Michael Masuda CA-5
    His campaign website says he would strengthen school programs such as Title I and IDEA and make sure federal commitments to fund special education are met.72
  • Adam Gray CA-13
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments cosponsoring the IDEA Full Funding Act so that children with disabilities can get a free, high-quality public education.73
  • Aisha Wahab CA-14
    Her campaign website says she would protect Title I and IDEA funding and expand tutoring, after-school and summer programs.74,75
  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website says Congress must keep its promise to fund special education for children with disabilities.76
  • Ritesh Tandon CA-17
    Earlier policy pages still on his campaign website say he would push for a comprehensive reform of the U.S. Department of Education.77,78
  • David G. Valadao CA-22
    His campaign website says a one-size-fits-all approach from Washington hinders children's education, that parents and educators should have resources and flexibility, and that he supports expanding vocational and trade school options.79
  • Mike Levin CA-49
    His campaign website says that while the Trump administration tries to disband the Department of Education, he is working to secure federal resources for students.80
  • Patty McMahon CO-6
    Her campaign website proposes O.P.E.N. America, a national lifelong learning system within the Department of Education that would offer adults affordable, accredited online courses.81
  • Charles Burkett FL Governor
    The positions website his campaign names says education should be decentralized and returned from the federal bureaucracy to state and local control.82
  • Austin Scott GA-8
    His official House website says he wants to reduce the number of federal programs and leave education matters to local communities, restoring control at the local level.83
  • Rick W. Allen GA-12
    An earlier issue page still on his campaign website says the federal government’s one-size-fits-all approach to education hurts students, and that he worked to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act, which it says moves education decisions to parents, teachers and local officials.84
  • Matt Loesby ID Senate
    His campaign website says he would work to dismantle government-run education, which he calls the education industrial complex.85
  • Angel Oakley IL-3
    Her policy page says she will work to limit federal overreach in local schools and audit federal education programs for effectiveness and waste.86
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says part of the Department of Education's budget should be redirected to give teachers a free daily meal.87
  • André Carson IN-7
    His campaign website says he has been outspoken about the Trump administration's dismantling of the Department of Education and has demanded a meeting with the acting director.88
  • Charles Booker KY Senate
    His campaign website says he would oppose federal cuts to Title I and special education funding.89
  • Jay J Bowman KY-6
    His campaign website says federal education policies such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top should be revised to give states and local school districts more autonomy, and that local districts should rely less on federal grants.90
  • "Clay" Higgins LA-3
    His campaign website's 2016 Issues page says he would greatly diminish or completely dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and that school choice and education are best decided locally by parents and teachers.91
  • Tim Walberg MI-5
    His campaign website says he voted for the Every Student Succeeds Act, which it says moved power and resources from federal education officials in Washington to states and local schools, on the view that local educators and school boards know best how to teach students.92
  • Debbie Dingell MI-6
    Her campaign website says Department of Education programs have been decimated, and that she supports public schools, public universities and teachers and is committed to promoting educational opportunities from pre-K through higher education.93
  • Chris Dardzinski MI-13
    His campaign website proposes combining the Department of Education with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture into a Department of Health, Welfare and Education, and its '5 by 5’ proposal would transfer the federal student loan system back to private banks by 2030.94
  • Erik Osberg MN-7
    His Strengthening Public Education priority says he wants federal education support, including Title I funding, to be restored and expanded.95
  • Cindy Hyde-Smith MS Senate
    Her campaign website says the federal government should support states' efforts to improve education but should not dictate how they do it.96
  • Shannon W. Bray NC Senate
    His campaign website supports reducing federal control over education and encouraging parental choice and local decision-making.97
  • Eugene F. Douglass NC-2
    His campaign brochure proposes shifting oversight of elementary and secondary education to states and localities and eliminating what it calls wasteful federal spending on ineffective policies.98
  • Deborah K. Ross NC-2
    Her campaign education page says that in Congress she is fighting for more federal resources for schools.99
  • Raymond Smith NC-3
    His campaign platform page says his time as an educator and county school board member showed him the value of local control of schools, but that the federal government still has a key part to play in overall school funding, special education and civil rights protections.100
  • Virginia Foxx NC-5
    Her campaign website says the federal government should play a smaller role in education wherever it can, should not impose top-down requirements such as Common Core on states, and that parents, teachers and state and local leaders should lead decisions on education.101
  • Chuck Hubbard NC-5
    His campaign website says Congress should give all the help it can to public schools, teachers and school facilities, while noting that much education policy is set by states.102
  • David Rouzer NC-7
    His campaign website's issues page says decisions about education should be made locally by parents, teachers and principals, and that the federal government should step aside so states can do what they think best for local school officials.103
  • Kimberly Hardy NC-7
    Her campaign website's Priorities page says she would protect the programs and funds for students with disabilities that the US Department of Education currently administers, and protect funds for Head Start, the Preschool Development Grant, Title I, and Career and Technical Education. It also says she would restore funding to the National Center for Educational Statistics and the Institute of Educational Sciences.104
  • Colby Watson NC-8
    His campaign website's Education page says education decisions should stay with parents and local communities rather than officials in Washington, and that he would fully fund special education and strengthen Title I support for high-need schools.105
  • Mark Harris NC-8
    His campaign website's Issues page says that while he supports a strong public education system, parents rather than the federal government should have the final say in how their children are educated, and that he will fight for policies centered on local control.106
  • Denise Powell NE-2
    Her campaign website criticizes President Donald Trump's cuts to the Department of Education and says she will not let them stand.107