Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned President Trump about plans to shut down the Department of Education, accusing him of “You broke it and you own it.”
Duncan, Inch Interview He was asked about the reported executive order along with CNN's John Berman on Friday. Despite the order not announced Thursday or Friday, Obama-era officials argued that the move could create a “bureaucratic nightmare.”
“It's hard to tell what's going to happen because people like Trump are kind of cowardly,” Duncan told Berman. “If they simply transfer part of the Ministry of Education to other institutions, then the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Finance, HHS, labor, anything – what you have now is a bureaucratic nightmare.”
“When you step into the store, they say, 'You break it, do you own it?” When the bank starts to crumble in DC because things are running, they're going to own it,” he continued. “And if they start to separate from vulnerable children and take away educational opportunities, they don't want to happen.”
McMahon confirmed Friday that Trump is still expected to move forward with plans. The draft order obtained by multiple outlets instructs the secretary to dismantle the department as much as possible without the council approval necessary to completely abolish the assembly.
She added that if the department is completely closed, the state will be responsible for managing educational institutions.
Duncan appears to have laughed at the administration's arguments wearing the “education is human rights” shirt.
“I will be the first guy who says, 'The mission has been accomplished.' He can raise that flag,” the former chief said. “What do you think? That's where the action is already… Everything he says is so cheating. It's so dishonest.”
“You know, 90% of K-12 funding is already at the state and local level,” he added. “So the action is already in the state.”
According to Duncan, what the education department does is provide “additional resources” to the most vulnerable children. He listed several key priorities, including providing access to high-quality Pre-K schooling, feeding hungry children at lunchtime, providing quality education for children living under the poverty line or under the rural community, supporting English learners, providing accommodation for 7.5 million children with special needs, and providing Pell Grants to young adults.
“If he starts to touch resources, it hurts our most vulnerable young people. [and] When he goes to college, it will be a major big backlash and he will wake up Mama Bear and Daddy Bear at home,” Duncan told Berman.
“You can lie to your parents about a lot of things, but if you start robbing your kids of opportunities… he should be careful,” he said.
After leading the department by tapping McMahon, Trump made it very clear that she wanted her to “get out of work.” Since being confirmed by the Senate earlier this month, she has largely stuck to that goal, sending employees a “final mission” after taking the post.
The administration is primarily Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and has already cut over $1 billion in education contracts. The move, which Doge claimed to have “wake up” to wasteful spending, prompted others to be wary of students about educational research and learning outcomes.
Duncan told News Nation in an interview last month.
“It's not going to happen,” he said at the time.
