The Department of Education has always been a target for small-government advocates, but things shifted into high gear recently. You've probably seen the headlines. Representative Lauren Boebert has been right in the middle of it.
She hasn't just been talking. She's been voting and pushing for a total teardown of the federal education apparatus. Honestly, it’s one of those topics where the nuance gets lost in the shouting matches on cable news. People think the Lauren Boebert Department of Education stance is just a talking point, but the legislative paper trail says otherwise.
The Bill That Started the Fire
It basically comes down to H.R. 899. This is the big one. Introduced by Representative Thomas Massie and heavily backed by Boebert, the bill is only one sentence long. Seriously. It just says: "The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026."
No fluff. No complex transition plans in the text itself. Just a hard stop.
Boebert has been a vocal cosponsor of this move because she argues that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to kids' learning. From her perspective, a bureaucrat in D.C. shouldn't be deciding what a kid in rural Colorado or a city in Florida needs to know. She’s often said that the department has "usurped" power that belongs to parents.
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What’s the Plan if it Actually Closes?
You might wonder: "Wait, what happens to the money?"
That's the part that gets messy. If the department actually closes, the federal government doesn't just keep the cash. The goal of the Lauren Boebert Department of Education push—and that of her colleagues like Andy Biggs and Mary Miller—is to "block grant" that money.
Instead of the federal government saying, "You must spend this on X program," they want to send the money straight to the states. Then, the states decide. Or better yet, in Boebert’s ideal world, the money "follows the student." This is the core of the school choice movement.
- Pell Grants and Student Loans: These are the biggest concerns for most people. Under current proposals, the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio wouldn't just vanish. It would likely move to the Treasury Department or the Small Business Administration.
- Title I Funding: This helps low-income schools. Boebert’s stance is that this money should go directly to parents in the form of vouchers.
- Special Education: Funding for IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) would likely be managed by Health and Human Services.
The "Woke" Factor
Let’s be real—part of this isn’t just about the budget. It’s about culture. Boebert has been very clear that she wants the federal government out of education because she believes it's a "breeding ground for woke ideology."
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She’s introduced and supported amendments specifically targeting what can be taught regarding gender and race. By getting rid of the federal department, she’s essentially trying to pull the plug on the central server that distributes these national standards.
She wants local school boards to be the ones in the driver’s seat. If a school board in her district wants to focus on "reading, writing, and math" and skip the "social justice" stuff, she wants them to have the power to do that without fearing a loss of federal funding.
Why It’s a Tough Sell
Even with a Republican-controlled House, this isn't a slam dunk. Why? Because many Republicans are actually nervous about it.
The Department of Education handles a ton of data and compliance that states aren't currently set up to handle. Also, there’s the "rural school" problem. In many rural areas—like parts of Colorado’s 3rd District—private school choice isn't really an option because there are no private schools nearby. Public schools are the only game in town.
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Opponents like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others argue that abolishing the department would leave the most vulnerable students behind. They say that without federal oversight, civil rights protections in schools would basically disappear.
What You Should Actually Watch For
If you're keeping an eye on the Lauren Boebert Department of Education situation, don't just look for a "shutdown" headline. Look for the "hollowing out."
The administration has already started moving some programs. For example, some K-12 funding streams were recently shifted to the Department of Labor. This is a "death by a thousand cuts" strategy. If you can't get the bill passed to close the building, you just move all the desks out one by one.
Actionable Reality
If you're a parent or a student, here is what this means for you right now:
- FAFSA is still king: Even if the department is on the chopping block, federal student aid is governed by the Higher Education Act. That law still stands. Keep filing your FAFSA.
- Local Elections Matter More: Boebert’s entire goal is to move the power to your local school board. If she succeeds, the people you elect to your local board will have 10x more influence over your kid's curriculum than they do today.
- State-Level Legislation: Keep an eye on your state's "Educational Savings Account" (ESA) bills. This is where the battle for "money following the student" is actually being won or lost right now.
The debate over the Lauren Boebert Department of Education stance isn't going away. It's a fundamental disagreement about who owns a child's education: the state or the parent. Whether you think she’s a hero for "returning power to the people" or a villain for "dismantling public trust," the wheels are definitely in motion.