Gottheimer Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Dismantling the Department of Education

NORTH JERSEY — Today, March 20, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education:

“President Trump’s decision to dismantle the Department of Education is not just dangerous — it’s a reckless and illegal betrayal of our families, students, and educators.

As the son of a teacher, I understand the critical impact the Department of Education has on Jersey families. New Jersey claws back nearly $1 billion in critical education dollars from the federal government every year, including $463 million for students with disabilities and $465 million for underserved students and communities. These dollars help our schools and offset local contributions from our property taxes. The Department also provides essential resources to strengthen early childhood education and support our educators. These are the hard-earned tax dollars of Jersey families, and the Administration cannot jeopardize our children’s education and futures by stripping them away.

I’m all for efficiencies, but blindly taking a chainsaw to programs that Jersey families, students, and teachers depend on is not a strategy — it’s pure stupidity. And it will hurt our students. I will always fight to protect our families and ensure our children have opportunities to learn and thrive.”