Ohio Legislature calls on Congress to abolish the U.S. Department of Education

Ohio state lawmakers passed a joint resolution Wednesday calling on Congress to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.

The largely symbolic vote builds on a Trump administration campaign to eliminate the department and return to the states control of education and related tax dollars.

It establishes a task force with 120 days to produce a comprehensive plan for state lawmakers to take full control of federal education grants, special education programs, and civil rights enforcement.

“Today, we have delivered by being proactive as a state,” said Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Republican sponsor of the bill and chair of the Ohio Senate’s education committee.  

“Ohio is ready to lead the way in educational freedom and accountability to our families,” Mr. Brenner added in a statement.

He said he received the blessing of Education Secretary Linda McMahon for the resolution at a meeting with her and leaders of the conservative America First Policy Institute.

The Department of Education welcomed the resolution as an effort to safeguard students’ futures in a statement to The Washington Times.

“We are inspired by states like Ohio that are ready to carry this torch to transform classrooms into engines of opportunity for every child,” said Savannah Newhouse, a department spokeswoman.

In a March executive order, President Trump directed Ms. McMahon to close the Education Department to the “maximum extent” allowed by law.

Because Congress created the department in a 1979 law, formally ending the agency would require its approval.

Republican-sponsored bills to close the department have not advanced in the U.S. House or Senate.

Democratic strategist James Carville said on Wednesday that it’s unlikely Republicans have the votes to enforce the president’s order before losing their thin legislative majorities.

“I guess you never say never, but it’s really hard to see it happening,” Mr. Carville said.

Conservatives have long called for the department’s abolition, arguing that it leverages federal funding to impose liberal race and gender-identity policies on public education.

The Trump administration has spent months slashing spending and staff at the federal agency, hoping to persuade lawmakers of its uselessness. The administration has also offloaded billions of dollars in education programs to other federal agencies, adding to the pressure campaign.

The America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank that supports closing the department, praised Ohio lawmakers for passing the resolution.

“Ohio is stepping up to lead, and it’s exactly the direction the country needs to go,” said Erika Donalds, the institute’s chair of education opportunity.