Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) President Dan Montgomery issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Education firing 1,300 employees, effectively gutting the department:
“President Trump cannot dismantle the Department of Education without Congress, yet he is attempting to bypass the legislative process and override the will of the people. This is about consolidating power, rolling back civil rights, and diverting public funds to private interests. Legal experts agree that this move is unconstitutional and will face serious challenges, but the mere attempt exposes his reckless disregard for democracy and the rule of law. Public education is the backbone of our democracy, and his threats are a direct attack on it.
"In Illinois, the Department of Education supports more than 2 million children across 4,000 K-12 schools. The 1.3 million students at Title I schools rely on $778 million in federal funding. Students with disabilities are accommodated with $652 million in federal support. Additionally, $54 million in federal funding helps provide before- and after-school care for students with working parents.
“At the federal level, the Department of Education invests in two- and four-year colleges and trade development programs, making higher education and career training more accessible. The $63 billion in federal student loans and $1 billion in Pell Grants help 1.8 million students afford college. Eliminating the DOE and cutting these programs would devastate millions of students and families who rely on these critical resources. These cuts threaten the future of the American workforce and will shrink the middle class.
"The IFT and its 103,000 members will not back down. We will continue organizing, mobilizing, and fighting to protect our students, our schools, and the communities we serve. Trump's attacks on public education will not go unchallenged—we are ready, we are united."