DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

On 2025-04-09, Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10) delivered a floor speech titled "DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION" in the House.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)] [House] [Page H1513] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (Mr. DeSAULNIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, President Gerald Ford had a vision. He signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to protect the most vulnerable amongst us: special needs kids. One of the most cruel things I have seen in my time in Congress and with this administration is the attack on the public servants who promote and have never had the resources to really protect special needs kids. This President has cut public servants at the Department of Education. Mr. Speaker, 1,315 workers were fired, 572 accepted voluntary separation packages, and 63 probationary workers were terminated. Programs for students with disabilities were moved to the Department of Health and Human Services where 20,000 public servants were cut in January. There are approximately 7.5 million special needs kids in this country protected by IDEA in the Department of Education. They rely on the public servants who were just fired and eliminated. The number of students served by IDEA has grown by over 1 million in the last decade. The administration has gutted the Office of Civil Rights which protects these students with disabilities from discrimination. This is outrageous. ____________________