Does the Dept. of Education Need to be Eliminated After 2018? (H.R. 899)

What is H.R. 899?

(Updated August 26, 2021)

This bill would eliminate the Dept. of Education effective on December 31, 2018. Its legislative text is one sentence long.

Argument in favor

Unelected bureaucrats shouldn’t be in charge of the nation’s education system. States and local communities are best positioned to develop curricula that meet the needs of their students and hold schools accountable for their performance.

Argument opposed

The Dept. of Education is too important to eliminate. It helps develop education standards and provides student loans that allow people to advance their education when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

Impact

Students, teachers, schools; state and local governments and education boards; and the Dept. of Education.

Cost of H.R. 899

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced this bill to abolish the federal Dept. of Education at the end of 2018, saying that “neither Congress nor the President, through his appointees, has the constitutional authority to dictate how and what our children must learn.” Massie went on to say in a press release that:

“Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development. States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school."

This legislation has the support of seven cosponsors in the House, all of whom are Republicans.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) Press Release
  
• The Blaze
  
• Cincinnati Enquirer
  
• The Hill