In an interview Thursday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, calling it the fulfillment of a “longtime dream” of the far-right and a threat to the country’s public education system.
Speaking with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, the Democratic governor — a former teacher and parent of a child with autism — said he “dreaded” the day Trump would move to shut down the department, warning it would jeopardize critical support systems for students with disabilities and undermine decades of progress in civil rights and educational equality.
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“Donald Trump doesn’t know anything about education,” Walz said. “This has been a longtime dream of the far right — to crush the public education system and take that money and transfer it to private schools that don’t exist in a lot of areas or rural areas.”
Trump signed the executive order on Thursday, directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of closing the department and transitioning its functions to the states and other federal agencies. The move came just seven days after the department announced it had reduced its workforce by nearly 50% through voluntary buyouts and layoffs.
“Students like my son, who depend on IDEA and individual education plans, are the ones this hurts the most,” Walz continued. “That’s a hallmark of America. I think our public education system is one of the greatest contributions we’ve made to the world.”
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In his order, Trump directed McMahon to ensure “services, programs, and benefits” continue without interruption, including support for K-12 students, college borrowers, and students with special needs.
But Walz was unconvinced, calling the move a deliberate attack on public institutions and accusing the Trump administration of “surrounding themselves with people who know nothing about education.”
“This is about children. This is about broadband access in schools. It’s about pedagogy and civil rights,” he said. “The Department of Education has long stood as a bulwark against inequality, and now we risk going back to a time when students like Ruby Bridges needed police escorts to attend school.”
Secretary McMahon, who formerly served as a WWE executive, pushed back on the backlash in a statement released Thursday evening.
“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them,” McMahon said. “We will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs… We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress.”
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The move to shut down the Department of Education has reignited fierce national debate over the future of public education.
Conservatives have long criticized the department as bloated and ideologically driven, while Democrats and education advocates warn its elimination could leave vulnerable students behind.
According to 2024 data from the Nation’s Report Card, student test scores remain below pre-pandemic levels, with math and reading scores plunging to their lowest point in 50 years, a decline many have blamed on extended school closures and controversial curriculum shifts.
During the same period, national teachers’ unions came under fire for promoting political causes such as critical race theory, gun control, and gender ideology, prompting parental backlash and heated school board meetings across the country.
As the Trump administration begins the process of disbanding the Education Department, the battle
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