Durbin In Spotlight Forum: We Need The Department Of Education
In a spotlight forum focusing on the Trump Administration’s efforts to destroy the Department of Education, Durbin highlights the agency’s role in providing equitable educational opportunities to students
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a spotlight forum entitled “Abandoning America’s Promise: The Real Cost of Dismantling the Department of Education (ED),” which examined the disastrous impacts of the Trump Administration’s promise to gut ED and roll back oversight, civil rights enforcement, and funding for Title I, IDEA, Pell Grants, and student aid. Durbin began his speaking time in the forum by reflecting on ED’s work in offering equitable educational opportunities to all students.
“I think about the Department of Education in historic terms. Why was it created? It was created in the 1960s for many reasons, innovation and opportunity in education, but just as much, it was created for justice in education. Because in 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education… the decision was made that ‘separate but equal’ didn’t work anymore. There had to be equal opportunity… But to be enforced, we needed an agency of government who would watch carefully to make sure that, in fact, opportunity was equal in America and that there was justice in education,” Durbin began.
Referencing the story of Ms. Tasha Berkhalter, a witness at today’s hearing who had served in the military prior to attending ITT Technical Institute and graduating with more than $100,000 in debt, Durbin criticized predatory for-profit colleges. He noted that ED provided an opportunity for students to file borrower defense claims against for-profit schools that had offered students a flimsy degree while burying them in student debt.
“Ms. Berkhalter, you understand this better than anybody gathered in this room. The representations that were made to you [by ITT Technical Institute] as an aspiring student and as a veteran were lies. And when it was discovered that they had defrauded you, you had an opportunity for justice… with the Department of Education [through] borrower defense [claims],” Durbin said.
“Now he’s [President Trump] going to the next step in eliminating that agency that gives you opportunity for equity and justice when it comes to education,” Durbin said. “He’s turning back the hands of time when it comes to diversity and inclusion and equity and justice in education. We’ve got to be willing to fight for it.”
Durbin concluded by asking Ms. Denise Forte, President and CEO of the Education Trust and a witness at today’s hearing, for her thoughts on how the Trump Administration is derailing the pursuit of justice in education.
“When you look at the historic perspective about equity and opportunity and justice in education, where do you think Trump is heading?” Durbin asked Ms. Forte.
Ms. Forte replied that by dismantling the Department of Education, the Trump Administration is preventing underserved students from accessing equitable educational opportunities.
Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
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