In response to an executive order dismantling the Department of Education, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement:
Shuttering the Department of Education is a radical plan, ripped from the pages of Project 2025, that will close the doors of opportunity for America’s students. Without the Department of Education, working people will have one more hurdle to access the financial aid they need to go to college or pursue a trade. Kids from working-class families—especially kids with disabilities—will be left behind, unable to access the education they need to succeed. States, cities and towns will be forced to stretch their already tight budgets to cover the loss in federal funding, jeopardizing essential programs and putting good union jobs our communities rely upon at risk. None of this makes sense for America’s working families.
We stand with our affiliated unions as they challenge this illegal DOGE order in court—and with every student, parent, educator and worker fighting for the universal, quality public education that Americans care so deeply about.
Contact: Mia Jacobs, 202-637-5018