Latest news with #FederalBureaucracy
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
J.D. Tuccille: U.S. Department of Education should be abolished
The United States Department of Education was born as a political payoff by then-president Jimmy Carter to reward teachers' unions for supporting his candidacy. While it doesn't operate any schools or educate any children, the funding and rules administered by this meddlesome federal bureaucracy allow federal politicians to limit educational experimentation and variety at the state and local level. That, in turn, has spurred an exodus from American public schools. President Donald Trump has promised to kill the department and it's a promise he needs to keep. It's not at all clear that the U.S. needs a federal Department of Education. While there are some federally operated schools — on military bases, for example — those are run independently of the Education Department. The agency itself admits that, 'Education is primarily a state and local responsibility in the United States,' and that, 'At the elementary and secondary level … about 92 per cent of the funds will come from non-federal sources.' Most public schools are operated by local governments or, in the case of charter schools, by private groups and businesses with state and local funding. State governments exercise varying degrees of control, as you'd expect in a federal system, with California and Texas centralizing the purchasing of textbooks (a 2020 New York Times report found otherwise identical texts given a liberal spin for California buyers and a conservative one for Texas purchasers). Importantly, the U.S. Constitution details the powers of the federal government and nowhere does it mention schools or education. In March, Thomas A. Berry, director of the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, noted that, 'The vast majority of functions carried out by the Department of Education are not authorized by the Constitution. That is because the Constitution grants the federal government only limited, enumerated powers, none of which encompass education policy.' So why does the federal government have a Department of Education that runs no schools? Because once upon a time a politician owed favours. After Carter died in December, journalist Mark Walsh summarized part of his legacy for EducationWeek. 'As a presidential candidate in 1976, Carter promised the National Education Association that he would push for a separate education department,' he wrote. 'In return, the nation's largest teachers' union made the first presidential endorsement in its then-117-year history.' Thus, the U.S. ended up with a cabinet-level department devoted to education that operates no schools, employs (or used to) roughly 4,000 people and spends about four per cent of the federal budget. What does the department do? It enforces rules — such as anti-discrimination laws — compiles statistics, sets goals and funnels money to local public schools that accept federal conditions (which most do). This gives educational bureaucrats outsized influence over institutions they don't actually operate. In 2017, an article in the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Ed. magazine noted that, 'The federal government uses a complex system of funding mechanisms, policy directives and the soft but considerable power of the presidential bully pulpit to shape what, how and where students learn.' In fact, state and local educators, largely linked by the culture and ideology that permeates teachers' unions and the federal Department of Education, are usually more than happy to have their arms twisted into accepting the latest trends favoured by Washington. The result is less variety and experimentation among schools that are locally operated but don't want to offend the feds. Maybe that would be tolerable if such standardization produced well-educated kids, but it doesn't. In January, the Department of Education announced the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — often called 'the nation's report card' — by admitting they 'reveal a heartbreaking reality for American students and confirm our worst fears: not only did most students not recover from pandemic-related learning loss, but those students who were the most behind and needed the most support have fallen even further behind.' Inefficient and unresponsive public schools aren't a new thing — Americans have complained about them for decades. But they're now doing more than complaining — they're heading for the exits in favour of alternatives, such as private schools, publicly funded but privately run charter schools, co-operative learning pods, micro-schools and various forms of homeschooling. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, while traditional public schools saw enrolment decline by over a million students, private schools, which educate nine per cent of combined public and private students, picked up enrolment, many paying tuition with the help of tax credits and education savings accounts explicitly established to support school choice. At the same time, charter schools increased enrolment by 400,000 and now educate roughly seven per cent of all students. Homeschooling is harder to measure since not all states track those who choose DIY education, but the Johns Hopkins University Homeschool Hub estimates that six per cent of students are educated through various homeschooling approaches and that, 'The number of home-schooled students is going up as the total number of U.S. students in going down.' Culture wars and battles over politicized classrooms — exemplified in those competing California and Texas textbooks — only serve to accelerate the exodus. If the U.S. Department of Education is doing anything, it's presiding over a decline in public education that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Cara Fitzpatrick dramatically overstates in her 2023 book, 'The Death of Public Schools.' The public schools aren't dead, but they're mortally wounded and shedding support after having been rendered repulsive by their own advocates. In March, President Trump ordered Education Secretary Linda McMahon to 'take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the states and local communities.' He's since laid off almost half the department's workforce — a move boosted this week when the U.S. Supreme Court eased the way for mass firings of federal workers. But President Carter's payoff to the teachers' unions required an act of Congress to create. It's long past time that lawmakers act once again to put the Department of Education out of our misery. National Post J.D. Tuccille: Americans flee Big Government schools for better, private options J.D. Tuccille: DEI is in retreat
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump executive order reduces VOA staff by almost 600
May 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the firing of almost 600 employees with the publicly-funded Voice of America, representing about a third of the broadcaster's staff. "Today, in compliance with President Trump's Executive Order titled, Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, dated March 14, 2025, the US Agency for Global Media initiated measures to eliminate the non-statutory components and functions to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law," U.S. Agency for Global Media Senior Adviser Kari Lake said on the agency's website late Thursday. "This action will impact the agency's workforce at USAGM, Voice of America, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and all Grantees. Most USAGM staff affected by this action will be placed on paid-administrative leave beginning Saturday, March 15, 2025, and remain on leave until further notice." "Buckle up. There's more to come," Lake said in an email to the Washington Post. The USAGM is the agency responsible for VOA, which provides non-partisan news content in countries across the world, including China, Iran, Russia and others with limited freedom of the press. The bulk of Voice of America's approximately 1,350 full-time employees were not affected by the latest executive order, which targets mostly contractors. Lake confirmed 584 positions were affected. VOA director Michael Abramowitz told staff he is "heartbroken," The Post reported, citing an internal memo. "Some of VOA's most talented journalists have been [personal services contractors] - many of whom have escaped tyranny in their home countries to tell America's story of freedom and democracy," Abramowitz wrote in the memo. Trump's executive order aims to continue "the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary." The president has previously called the agency "anti-American" and accused it of broadcasting "propaganda." The news comes despite a federal judge in April ordering the Trump administration to restore funding and staffing to Voice of America and its affiliated news services. At the time, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth deemed the administration's cuts to be unconstitutional. Trump in mid-March signed an executive order to reduce the scope of the federal government, which targeted the USGM and VOA. Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced a "phased return" of VOA staff following court rulings. Lake in her statement said the agency would continue its international broadcast of U.S. news, but vowed once again to cut excessive spending. "While at USAGM, I vow to fully implement President Trump's executive orders in his mission to reduce the size and scope of the federal government," Lake said in the statement, adding the reductions are within what is "statutorily required by law." "The US Agency for Global media will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency's purview and shed everything that is not statutorily required. I fully support the President's executive order. Waste, fraud, and abuse run rampant in this agency and American taxpayers shouldn't have to fund it," Lake wrote.
New York Times
24-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Advocates Rally After Trump Targets Federal Support for Libraries
Library supporters are rallying to the defense of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, warning that the Trump administration's efforts to pare back or even eliminate the agency will damage institutions across the country and potentially violate the law. The independent agency, created in 1996, is the federal government's main source of support for the nation's libraries, museums and archives, with a budget of roughly $290 million. Its largest program, totaling roughly $160 million, goes directly to state library agencies. The agency was one of seven named in a March 14 executive order titled 'Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,' which ordered that they be 'eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.' Last week, Keith E. Sonderling, the recently confirmed deputy secretary of labor, was sworn in as acting director, replacing Cyndee Landrum, a career library professional. Mr. Sonderling visited the agency's office on Thursday with a small team, including at least one staff member of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, who was given an office and access to the agency's computer systems, according to an employee who was present. After leaving, Mr. Sonderling issued a statement promising to move the agency 'in lock step with this administration to enhance and foster innovation.' 'We will revitalize I.M.L.S. and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country's core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations,' Mr. Sonderling said. Even before the visit, more than dozen library, museum and scholarly groups had issued statements expressing alarm at the March 14 order, which the American Library Association called 'shortsighted' and an 'assault.' 'By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration's executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer,' it said. And on Monday, the agency's 19-member advisory board sent a letter to Mr. Sonderling, stating that a number of its programs, including its grants to state library agencies and its support for Native American library services, had been established by statute so cannot be ended without the approval of Congress. 'We remain fully committed to fulfilling our statutory role as an advisor to you as acting director and to supporting the lawful and effective operation of the Institute,' the board said. The I.M.L.S., while little known to the public, has a larger budget than both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. It was created in 1996, and has been reauthorized several times, most recently in 2018, in bipartisan legislation signed by Mr. Trump. The agency, which has roughly 70 employees, provides funding to libraries and museums in every state and territory, often to support essential but unglamorous back-office activities like cataloging and database management, which often struggle to attract private philanthropic support. Its largest program, known as Grants to States, delivers roughly $160 million annually to state library agencies, which then distribute it for various statewide or individual projects. The agency also provides competitive grants directly to institutions of all sizes and types. Recent grants have included $250,000 to the Seattle Public Library to support teen mental health; $150,000 to the University of South Florida to develop library resources for autistic patrons; and $246,000 to the New York Public Library to develop curriculum materials based on the collections at its Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The agency also supports small, lesser-known institutions, like the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire, which recently received a three-year, $213,000 grant to inventory the more than 40,000 items in its collection, including a cache of early-19th-century letters recently discovered hidden under an attic roof. 'We have I.M.L.S. to thank for giving us the means to hire curators and the dedicated time to discover, through inventory, new aspects of Shaker life that we can share with the public,' Shirley Wajda, the curator of collections, said in an email. Among the institute's prominent supporters over the years is a former first lady, Laura Bush, herself a former school librarian. A grant program named for her, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians Program, supports the recruitment and training of librarians, including those from 'diverse and underrepresented' communities. (A spokesman for Mrs. Bush declined to comment.) The extent of any cuts at the agency, and potential legal challenges to them, remain unclear. But Paula Krebs, the president of the National Humanities Alliance, an umbrella group of more than 250 universities and cultural organizations, said the move was part of the administration's 'larger attack on education,' including an executive order aimed at shuttering the Department of Education. Museums and libraries, Ms. Krebs said, are the main places where members of the public engage in lifelong learning, outside of any formal school. 'I worry this is an attack on the idea that you should have an educated electorate,' she said. 'It's just terrifying.'
Fox News
16-03-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump orders the dismantling of government-funded, 'propaganda'-peddling media outlet
President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of news agency Voice of America, the U.S.'s state-funded media outlet that Trump has railed against for promoting biased media reports. "Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now," a senior White House official told Fox News Digital. Trump signed an executive order on Friday that commands the dismantling of seven government offices, including the United States Agency for Global Media, which is the parent company of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. "The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law," the EO reads. Kari Lake, whom Trump named as the VOA's next chief in December, is currently serving as senior advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and told employees to "check your email" for more information on their employment futures. "The President has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. It affects USAGM and its outlets VOA and OCB. If you are an employee of the agency please check your email immediately for more information," Lake, who is also a former news anchor and Republican Arizona political candidate, posted to X. OCB refers to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is a Spanish language, government-funded radio and TV broadcaster that operates Radio and TV Martí in Miami, Florida. Employees received an email on Saturday detailing that their employment was terminated, the Wall Street Journal reported, though it is unclear how many employees were affected. The seven government agencies targeted in the order include: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency. Voice of America has come under scrutiny for promoting biased content, including for allegedly "sanitizing" Hamas when the outlet neglected to note in an article in January that residents in Gaza cheered the terrorist group when it brought out coffins holding the remains of Israeli hostages, including children. "Let's get the facts straight: Hamas paraded the dead bodies of innocent Israelis, including two children, in front of cheering crowds. American taxpayers should not be paying the salaries of Hamas apologists who spout terrorist propaganda," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., told National Review at the time of VOA's coverage. Just days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, VOA told its employees to "avoid calling Hamas and its members terrorists, except in quotes," National Review reported that year. The government-funded news outlet has also come under fire for other stories across the years, including running an article in 2020 that asked, "What Is 'White Privilege' and Whom Does It Help?" It was also criticized over publishing a story and video that was compared to a Biden campaign video in 2020, and downplaying the Hunter Biden laptop controversy that rocked the 2020 presidential campaign in its waning days. "I have monitored the agency's bureaucracy along with many of its reporters and concluded that it has essentially become a hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media," a former VOA employee wrote in an op-ed last year calling for the outlet's dismantling. "It has sought to avoid accountability for violations of journalistic standards and mismanagement."
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Social Security notifies employees of ‘significant workforce reductions'
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is notifying employees of 'significant workforce reductions' on the way as it prepares for what it describes as an 'agency-wide organizational restructuring' amid reports that thousands of workers could be let go. The agency said this week that offices that perform functions that aren't 'mandated by statute may be prioritized for reduction-in-force actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions, directed reassignments, and reductions in staffing.' 'The agency may reassign employees from non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions (e.g., field offices, teleservice centers, processing centers),' the SSA said. 'Reassignments may be involuntary and may require retraining for new workloads.' A source also told NewsNation that the agency is planning to remove more than 100 employees focused on civil rights and equal opportunity. In notices to the employees, acting Commissioner Leland Dudek told staffers they would be placed on administrative leave as a 'notice of proposed removal.' 'This notice is a proposal and not a decision. You will be notified of my decision in writing,' the notice read. 'From the date that you receive this notice of proposed removal to the date of the decision is a notice period. You will be placed on administrative leave effective immediately until a final decision is made and implemented. My decision letter will provide you with the effective date of your removal.' 'You have the right to respond to this notice of proposed suspension orally, in writing, or both. You must make your response within twenty-five (25) days of the date that you receive this notice,' the notice continued. This notice also stated the proposal 'is for cause and will promote the efficiency of the federal service in accordance' with President Trump's 'Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy' executive order issued earlier this month. The Hill has reached out to the SSA for further comment. Roughly 20,000 probationary federal employees have been axed in recent weeks as the Trump administration ramps up firings. That covers new hires and employees who were newly promoted. Among the list of agencies where employees have been targeted are the departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Interior and Education. Democrats have also sounded the alarm over reports the SSA is planning to layoff thousands of staff members. The Associated Press reported earlier this week, citing sources familiar, that the SSA was planning to let go of a minimum of 7,000 workers, or roughly 12 percent of its workforce. Democrats have already been sounding alarm over the reports, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warning ahead of a March 14 shutdown deadline that 'any bipartisan spending agreement has to protect the administration of these earned benefits.' In its recent message to employees, the agency also said it's offering 'voluntary separation incentives' to workers, including options for 'voluntary early retirement' or 'incentive payments' for eligible employees. The notice comes after a senior Trump administration official said earlier this month that upward of 70,000 federal employees have taken its buyout offers, even as the White House is battling efforts to counter the president's orders tangled up in the courts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
