Trump’s Assault on the Dept. of Education

Like most “states’ rights” gambits, it is a way to enable local iniquities. It's an assault on the idea of an American nation

A few years ago, as the world was starting to spin off its axis, I was speaking to a friend of mind from Texas. This proud conservative was always eager to repeat the joke about the most terrifying words in the English language being “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Attempting to identify the limits of his madness, I said: “Surely you agree that every child deserves the guarantee of a first-grade education.” He nodded his assent, or so I thought.

“Absolutely, Junior!” said the man. “Just as long as their parents kin PAY fer it!” He wasn’t kidding, and I was reminded of this in recent days upon learning that the Department of Education will lay off another 1,300 employees, reducing the staff to half its previous size of around 4,000.

This is more than a restructuring — it’s a direct assault on efforts to achieve reasonably equitable American education, enroute to dreams of abolishing the DOE altogether. At the heart of this debate is not just hostility to even the slightest social justice but a fundamental national question that Americans strangely ignore: Does the US want to be a unified country or merely a confederation of states with vastly different rules, standards, and rights?

In most contexts throughout history, the political right everywhere has aligned with patriotism, emphasizing national unity and strength. Yet in the United States, conservatives often seem to push in the opposite direction, favoring so-called “states' rights” over national cohesion. The reason is that many of them today are actually reactionaries who view states' rights as a tool to erode protections that the federal government has sought to ensure.