The Joint National Committee for Languages – National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) strongly objects to the Executive Order to close the U.S. Department of Education “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law”.
While this Executive Order only formalizes steps that the Administration has already begun to take, including massive layoffs, contract and grant terminations, and office eliminations and reductions, it is still deeply damaging to all public education in the United States. The executive branch does not have the authority to close a department without Congressional approval.
The Department of Education is essential to efficiently administering federally appropriated and legally mandated funds that support English language learners, ensuring they achieve English proficiency, while also providing critical resources for teacher professional development and international education programs; all of which are supported through federal statute.
Closing the Department, on top of the harmful personnel and office cuts already announced, would severely undermine efforts to build our nation’s capacity for language proficiency—an urgent priority for U.S. national security and economic global competitiveness. The Department of Education is and will continue to be necessary to meet these national needs, and we firmly oppose any action that would jeopardize the future of language education as well as students’ rights to education in the United States of America as protected by federal law.