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GOP senator debuts bill to abolish Department of Education following Trump campaign promise

FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator introduced a measure to do away with the Department of Education on Thursday after President-elect Trump suggested doing so on the 2024 campaign trail.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., debuted the "Returning Education to Our States Act" in the Senate, which would abolish the Department of Education and charge various other departments with certain responsibilities and programs that are currently administered by it. 

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., left, debuted a bill that would dissolve the Department of Education, which former President Trump suggested he would do if elected. (Reuters/ Istock)

Some experts contested his ability to do this, noting he would need congressional approval. However, with an incoming Republican trifecta in Washington, D.C., and Rounds' bill, he might have it. 

"The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good," Rounds said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "We all know local control is best when it comes to education. Everyone raised in South Dakota can think of a teacher who played a big part in their educational journey. Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

"For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education. I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year," he continued. 

The Democratic National Committee responded to the bill's release in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. "Donald Trump is hellbent on abolishing the Department of Education — and his MAGA lackeys are already pushing legislation to make his disastrous Project 2025 plans a reality," said DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd, referencing the policy agenda spearheaded by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. Notably, Trump and his campaign denied any involvement with Project 2025. 

"Between naming unqualified billionaire Linda McMahon Education Secretary and launching dangerous broadsides against education funding on the campaign trail, Trump has made crystal clear he’ll put our public schools at risk on day one. No matter what shameless attacks Trump and his MAGA enablers lob at students and teachers, Democrats will always fight back to protect public education," Floyd continued.

The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 21. (Tierney L. Cross)

In the senator's plan, a number of Native American education programs will be redirected to the Department of Interior; loan and grant programs would become the responsibility of the Department of Treasury; disability programs would be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services; career programs would move to the Department of Labor; and the State Department would become responsible for the Fulbright-Hays Program, which "supports research and training efforts overseas." 

President Trump shakes hands with Linda McMahon at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 29, 2019. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

"It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education," he said in a statement on the selection.