# What This Bill Would Do

This bill proposes to shut down the entire Department of Education and send federal education funding directly to individual states instead. Thirty days after the bill becomes law, the department would cease to exist, and almost all of its programs would end. The only exceptions are federal college grants (Pell Grants) and federal student loans, which would be moved to the Treasury Department to keep running.

In place of the current system, states would receive block grants—basically lump sums of money—based on how much federal income tax their residents pay. So wealthier states that generate more tax revenue would get more education funding, while less wealthy states would get less. States would then have complete freedom to decide how to spend this money on elementary and secondary education, with the bill expressing that states should use it to promote "competition and choices" in education and emphasizing that parents have the right to choose their children's education.

The practical effect would be a major shift in power from the federal government to individual states. Currently, the federal government sets certain education standards and requirements that schools must follow to receive funding. This bill would eliminate that oversight entirely. States could theoretically use their education money however they want—whether that means traditional public schools, charter schools, private school vouchers, or something else entirely. There would be no national standards, no federal requirements, and no guarantee that all children receive similar quality education regardless of where they live. A child in a wealthy state with high tax revenue could have very different educational opportunities than a child in a poorer state.

To abolish the Department of Education and to provide funding directly to States for elementary and secondary education, and for other purposes.

Gohmert, Louie

 <p>This bill abolishes the Department of Education and terminates any applicable program for which it has administrative responsibility, except for the Federal Pell Grant Program and the Federal Direct Loan Program. The bill transfers administrative responsibility for these programs to the Department of the Treasury.</p> <p>The bill also directs Treasury to make allocations to states to support elementary and secondary education.</p>