Politics and Local Government

Issue prompts drive to recall Councilman Phil Ortiz

By Alex Schorr and Miriam Raftery

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Photo, left:  Resolution opponents hold up sign denouncing hate and likening ICE roundups to “Gestapo” tactics

February 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution allowing the city’s police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and hand over any undocumented who has been convicted of a violent crime, as well as immigrants merely accused of a crime.  The measure was introduced by Mayor Bill Wells, with backing of Councilmember Phil Ortiz and amendments by Councilman Steve Goble.

The meeting was contentious, sparked by numerous emotional outbursts, threats to recall Councilmember Ortiz for supporting the resolution, and playing of phone threats made against Councilmembers who voted against the measure previously.

Just two weeks ago, the Council rejected a similar proposal by a 3-2 vote, but reversed that action on Wednesday after Councilmember Goble switched sides.

“We’re not a sanctuary city,” said Goble, adding that the city should not hinder federal immigration authorities.  He voiced support for deporting violent criminals, then revealed that he and Mayor Bill Wells held a meeting in December with Tom Homan, Pres Donald Trump’s border czar, on the issue.

California’s SB 54 law prohibits local law enforcement officers from participating in immigration sweeps and allows officers to only turn over undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they have been convicted of certain serious felony crimes and if there is a judicial warrant.  But the Trump administration is rounding up many immigrants who have not been convicted of crimes. Both the federal and state government have threatened legal actions against cities that comply or defy SB 54. Ultimately, Goble said he wants to see SB 54 amended to allow more cooperation between police and ICE.

The revised resolution includes several amendments, including one proposed by Goble asking the U.S. Attorney General to indemnify  El Cajon and defend its police officers against state challenges over immigration actions.  “I don’t want this conflict to punish our police officers,” said Goble, who insisted that the resolution is for the “sole purpose of getting rid of serious and violent criminals and to protect the people of El Cajon.”

But the resolution allows far more than that in authorizing police to handover people merely accused of a crime to ICE for deportation, including to foreign prisons or the infamous Guantanamo Bay “Gitmo” prison without any opportunity for due process or a trial. 

In public comments, 46 speakers addressed the Council in heated testimony on both sides. Repeatedly, participants caused vocal disturbances, booed or cheered, and several made racially charged remarks. Several times, Mayor Wells called brief recesses due to disruptions, at one point threatening to “move this upstairs and leave you all out of it,” with only press allowed to be present.

Patricia Mondragon (photo, right), regional and policy manager for Alliance San Diego, said Trump’s promise to remove only violent criminals is “a lie. In city after city, nonoffenders are being detained and  living in fear.”  Mondragon warned that even some immigrants with legal status, such as those who lawfully requested asylum and are awaiting hearings, are being swept up by ICE.

Mondragon said the resolution’s backers have mischaracterized numbers provided by ICE last year, which suggested that 640,000 undocumented criminals in the U.S. are not detained. In fact, about a third of those have not been convicted of any crime.  Of those convicted, many or perhaps most are already in prisons. That data spans decades, so some of those individuals may have died or left the U.S. on their own.

She believes Mayor Wells is “setting the city up as a litigant to challenge existing state law” and “asking the Attorney General for permission to violate state law.”

Many speakers characterized the resolution as racist and voiced fears that people with brown skin will face racial profiling.

Dr. Sergio Conte (photo, left) said he loves living in El Cajon, which has over 70 ethnic communities. He spoke of enjoying ethnic restaurants, walking his dog in the park among people of many cultures, and watching children from Afghanistan playing cricket.  “We never had these problems until the Mayor divided us,” he said. Now we are white against brown people...Why?  In 116 years we never had one councilmember to represent our community,” he said, noting that 35% of El Cajon voters are of Spanish heritage.

Then he directed his outrage at Councilmember Phil Ortiz—and issued a recall election threat. “We are going to recall you in 90 days, on March 10,” he told Ortiz, “because you were elected by the Latino community and you hate us...We are not criminals.”  Ortiz represents a heavily  Hispanic district; state law allows recall of an official 90 days after their current term of office begins.

But Mary Davis (photo, right) sees the resolution as “standing up for law and order.” She insists that isn’t racist. While opponents spoke of “kids in cages” in detention camps, Davis spoke of “kids in coffins.” She held up a photo of three children whom she said were killed in Sacramento by an undocumented father after he was arrested for a violent offense, then released.

Closer to home, RAD movement cofounder Sharie Finn says her child was raped and trafficked by an “illegal immigrant who is sitting in prison right now” but was not deported. She said the RAD movement’s volunteers have rescued children being trafficked locally. Finn supports the resolution because “this is one step to help our officers in getting violent offenders off the streets, period.”

Several speakers referenced the Lincoln-Reily act just passed by Congress and signed by President Trump.  It mandates federal detention of immigrants accused of even non-violent crimes such as theft. 

“We’re talking about sending El Cajon residents to foreign concentration camps without a trial,” one woman said, noting that a notorious prison in El Salvador, which has offered to take in deportees, has had people die of dehydration.

Others predicted the resolution would mire the city in costly litigation.  Lawsuits potentially be filed by the state of California as well as immigrant rights and civil rights organizations, since the resolution could be challenged as unconstitutional for violating due process and a right for accused persons to have a speedy trial, since the Constitution applies to everyone in the U.S, regardless of citizenship statues.

Some supporters lobbed inflammatory statements. One woman called for all undocumented immigrants to be deported, adding, “Anybody up here who would like to have a sanctuary city should be arrested...Anybody that wants to protest and burn our flag should be arrested also.”

Some opponents likened ICE tactics to fascism or Nazism. Others quoted Bible verses to support positions on both sides.

Amy Reichert from Restore San Diego (photo, right)  spoke in support of the resolution, stating, “This should not be a debate. We should not be called anti-Christian or racist.”

The final speaker, Julianne, told the Council that in 1931, “Mexicans were rounded up from hospitals, from cities, from their homes....they were summarily put in boxcars and trucked to Mexico....One of them was my grandfather. He was taken out of the hospital and sent to Mexico City; he was not from Mexico City...My grandmother despairingly went after him with my mother and my aunt; both were born here in the United States” and remained in Mexico until 1965.

She offered a chilling warning about “people who do not learn history and do not remember history. As you can see, it will be done again—and we need to learn from that.”

After the public speakers, Councilmembers held a discussion.

Councilman Gary Kendrick had the City Attorney clarify that SB 54 was challenged in federal court in 2017, but was upheld as constitutional by atrial court and by the 9^th circuit court, with the Supreme Court allowing the law to stand without hearing it, making “SB 54 the law of the land,” Kendrick noted.

He then asked City Manager Graham Mitchell to dispel misinformation circulating online claiming that El Cajon is a sanctuary city. Mtichell made clear,  “Not once in the nearly 25 years that I’ve been city attorney has the Council adopted a resolution, ordinance, or anything else that the city is a sancturay city.”

Kendrick asked if an officer violates SB 54, can the state remove their certification to serve as a police officer in California?  The City Manager looked up state law and later confirmed that while SB54 doesn’t expressly require decertification,  there are provisions that if an officer “violates state law or demonstrates bias, the state can take away your certification.”

Kendrick made clear, ”I don’t want to put our police officers in jeopardy or make it difficult to do their job.”  He noted that the police need people willing to cooperate as witnesses and report crimes,  not be afraid of police. As a Sunday school teacher, he voiced concern over ICE now being allowed to enter churches, schools and hospitals, adding that if people are afraid to go to clinics or hospitals for treatments or vaccines, diseases such as strep throat, measles or chicken pox could spread.  “This is hurting our community,” he said. 

He noted that no other local cities have passed such a measure, and only one other city of 480 in California has done so.” Let’s see how all this works out through the courts,” he said, voicing concern over costly lawsuits.

 Kendrick also condemned callers who left “profane” and “disgusting” messages on his voice mail at City Hall, the played several of them as examples.

The majority of you are traitors to this country and all your information is public,” one caller threated.  Another demanded after the last meeting, “Why did you vote no to get rid of all the dirty, stinking illegal aliens?” One message called him a “retarded, fat piece of s**t.”  Yet another denounced Kendrick’s mother, who lived in Czechoslovakia when the Nazis took her Jewish boss, who was never seen again.  “Goddamn you to f**ing hell and your mother is a f***ing whore,” the caller ranted.

Kendrick indicated that Councilmember Michelle Metschel received similar messages after voting against the resolution. Both say they support deporting convicted violent criminals as SB 54 allows.

“I am disgusted at such an attack on the democratic process through these attempts at intimidation and the threats that are completely against American democracy,” Kendrick said, drawing a standing ovation (photo,left)

Councilmember Metschel used her time to push back against a woman who forwarded an email that spread on the internet, in which Metschel apologized for becoming emotional in what she termed “bad behavior” at the last meeting, though other speakers applauded her for taking a strong stand.   In an ironic tone, she thanked those who spread the message and “making sure the public knew a public official could be human and not jaded.”

Metschel then confronted Amy Reichert over her statements repeatedly claiming El Cajon voted to “stay a sanctuary city” including on an Instagram post and an email to supporters.  Reichert leaped out of her seat in the audience, shouting repeatedly at Metschel in an angry outburst that prompted calls for her removal. Instead, the Mayor announced a 10-minute recess for “cooler heads” to prevail.

Councilman Ortiz (photo, left) doubled down on his stance in favor of the resolution. “I want violent criminals removed and I have big problems with SB 54,” he said.  He noted that many crimes are not included on the list of those for which immigrants can be handed over to ICE, ranging from shoplifting and theft to disorderly conduct, forgery, fraud, drug offenses and arson.

“I’m not going to be pressured or bullied or shouted into saying that this resolution is something that it’s not,” he said. Ortiz called generalizations on both sides “crazy” such as “every immigrant is a criminal” as well as accusations that “I hate Mexicans.”  That’s not true.”

Councilman Goble, who cast the swing vote, insisted that it’s about “public safety” but declined to acknowledge the serious concerns raised over potentially innocent people being deported without a trial or conviction.  “I will support this resolution because I authored a resolution to support the backs of our police officers who have our backs,”he said, drawing a chorus of both cheers and jeers from the audience.

Mayor Wells made clear that he supports deportation without convictions in court, calling the resolution “a no brainer.  We arrest someone for doing something bad who does not belong in this country, we should be able to do anything we can to get them out of this country.”  Mayor Wells noted that the majority of El Cajon voters voted for Trump and wanted change. 

He then denounced vocal opponents of the resolution as “completely disingenuous” adding, “People just tuned you out, because they know that you are liars.”

Wells made a motion to approve the resolution, which was seconded by Ortiz. The measure passed 3-2, with Metschel and Kendrick opposed.

The audience erupted into a mixture of gasps, jeers, and cheers, with some chanting, “Recall Phil.” 

Latinos in Accion has now launched a website, https://www.recallphilortiz.com/, in Spanish and English.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Tara McGrath. Courtesy Southern District of California

February 13, 2025 (San Diego) - After 16 months as the chief federal law enforcement official in San Diego, Tara McGrath has been given her walking papers by the White House.

• Became first in the nation to charge defendants for smuggling potent greenhouse gases across the U.S.-Mexico border, in violation of U.S. environmental laws.
• Secured sentences of six consecutive life terms and 45 years, respectively, for brothers convicted of murdering their American half sister, her three children, and her partner in Tijuana.
• Reinforced the region’s Elder Justice Task Force in partnership with the FBI and San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, recovering approximately $4.5 million stolen from elderly victims through sophisticated scams.
• Charged 40 individuals with stealing public-assistance benefits from low-income families, as part of an ongoing effort targeting thieves who exploit the government’s electronic payment system.
• Negotiated a $130,131,645 forfeiture settlement with Wynn Las Vegas for criminal conspiracy involving unlicensed money transmitting businesses worldwide. Achieved what is believed to be the largest forfeiture by a casino based on admissions of criminal wrongdoing.
• Secured conviction at trial against a defendant on 25 counts of securities fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering in connection with a $35 million investment and COVID-relief fraud scheme. Highlighted victim impact during the trial, including the defendant’s immigrant uncle who’d been swindled out of $4.5 million and many other victims who collectively lost millions of dollars.
• Facilitated the extradition of Michael Pratt, the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn commercial sex trafficking ring, following his arrest in Spain after more than three years as an international fugitive.

​

This includes cases brought under the False Claims Act across a broad spectrum of program areas including health care, defense procurement, and the Paycheck Protection Program enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

East County News Service

Photo: Palisades Fire, courtesy of Lakeside Fire Dept. which helped battle the catastrophic wildfire in Los Angeles County in January

February 11, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- As Southern California recovers from devastating wildfires, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, has introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts.

The package includes the Wildfire Emergency Act, to support forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, and energy resilience; the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, to authorize the removal of trees or other vegetation within existing electrical utility corridors; and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act, to further incentivize homeowners to proactively protect their homes from disasters.

The package of bipartisan bills comes as Southern California begins the recovery from one of the worst natural disasters in state history. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County burned over 57,000 acres and destroyed over 16,200 structures, claiming the lives of at least 29 victims, according to Cal-Fire.  

“The devastating fires in Southern California are a harsh reminder of the importance of proactive fire mitigation efforts to keep families and homes safe,” said Senator Padilla. “As these disasters become more frequent and more extreme, we need to find smarter solutions to strengthen fire resilience across the country. From expediting the removal of hazardous fuels near power lines, to supporting our wildland firefighting forces, to hardening homes and energy facilities, these commonsense bills would help reduce the threats of catastrophic fires to California communities.”

“Montanans see firsthand the effects that catastrophic wildfires have on our communities. These bipartisan bills will streamline forest management processes to mitigate the root causes of wildfires, improve community and home hardening efforts, and support our brave firefighters. I’ll work every day for more solutions to keep our state safe,” said Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), co-lead of the Wildfire Emergency Act and the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act.

“This commonsense legislation takes a critical step toward empowering individuals and communities to better protect themselves from the devastating effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. “By excluding qualified catastrophe mitigation payments from income tax, we are incentivizing property owners to make the necessary improvements that reduce damage and save lives. This proactive approach to disaster preparedness not only helps families rebuild faster but strengthens our resilience in the face of future disasters.”

“We have seen how natural disasters have devastated communities around the country, and we must ensure we have the resources and programs in place to respond. Homeowners should not face additional taxes for wanting to protect their homes and our bipartisan legislation will provide the needed tax relief to help affected Americans recover from these disasters,” said Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act.

“Louisianans understand the impact of devastating storms, but with the help of state and local programs, we have tools to rebuild and return to wholeness,” said Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. “If communities need tax relief, let’s give it to them!”

Wildfire Emergency Act

This sweeping legislation, co-led by Senator Daines, would reduce the threat of destructive wildfires through forest restoration, firefighter training, energy resilience retrofits, and wildfire-hardening home modifications in low-income communities. This bipartisan bill would take numerous steps to ensure that the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are better able to mitigate the risk and impact of wildfires. 

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Provide the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) with a pilot authority to leverage private financing to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration projects. The USFS would be able to expand up to 20 existing collaborative forest restoration projects using this pilot authority.
• Authorize funding for programs to expand the forest conservation and wildland firefighting workforce.
• Establish an energy resilience program at DOE to ensure that critical facilities remain active during wildfire disruptions, authorizing up to $100 million for necessary retrofits.
• Expand an existing DOE weatherization grant program to provide up to $13,000 to low-income households to make wildfire-hardening retrofits, such as ember-resistant roofs or gutters.
• Expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment on the ground, such as sensors or cameras, as well as the use of space-based observation.
• Establish a prescribed fire-training center in the West and authorize grants to support training the next generation of foresters and firefighters.

• Authorize up to $50 million to support community grants of up to $50,000 for locally focused land stewardship and conservation.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act

This bill, co-led by Senator Daines, would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve the removal of hazardous trees and other vegetation near power lines on federal forest lands without requiring a timber sale, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires through easier material removal. The legislation advanced last year through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as part of the Promoting Effective Forest Management Act of 2023.

Three of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history — the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2021 Dixie Fire — were started by electrical equipment. Together, these wildfires burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and killed 87 people.

Currently, the USFS allows utility companies to cut down trees and branches in existing utility corridors, but some forest managers interpret the law to forbid removal of the material off the land. This creates uncertainty and can lead to an unnecessary buildup of dead, dry fuels directly under utility lines. This bill would help reduce the risk of wildfires on forest lands by ensuring the clearing of existing corridors and give certainty to utilities.

The legislation would also require any utility that sells marketable forest products from hazardous trees removed near power lines to return any proceeds to the USFS.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act

This bipartisan legislation, co-led by Senators Tillis, Cassidy, and Schiff would provide a tax exemption on payments from state-based programs for homeowners to proactively harden their homes against natural disasters.

Specifically, the bill excludes from gross income calculations any qualified catastrophe mitigation payment made under a state-based catastrophe loss mitigation program. Qualifying payments are defined as any amount received and used for improvements to an individual’s property for the sole purpose of reducing the damage that would be done by a windstorm, earthquake, flood, or wildfire.

California, North Carolina, and Louisiana are among the states that provide funding to homeowners who take steps to protect their homes from natural disasters. These improvements can include removing trees, bushes, and other fire-prone vegetation close to homes that contribute to wildfires, strengthening foundations to protect against earthquakes, and installing fortified roofs to withstand hurricanes.

However, homeowners are currently required to pay federal taxes on these payments, unnecessarily limiting money available for critical disaster-related upgrades. This fix will bring parity to the tax treatment of disaster mitigation efforts and ensure taxpayers are able to put the full amount of these payments toward securing their homes.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are cosponsoring the legislation.

Full text of the bill is available here.

 Last month, Padilla introduced another package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts through legislation including the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, the Fire Suppression and Response Funding Assurance Act, and the Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act. His legislation to strengthen FEMA’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts, the FIRE Act, became law in 2022.

“Eliminating USAID means no more food for millions of Sudanese refugees who’ve fled a civil war, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment on the African continent, and more." -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via X: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speaks at a rally to save US Aid.

February 11, 2025 (San Diego) – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) today introduced legislation declaring it illegal for the Trump administration to dismantle the USAID agency without an act of Congress, and to prohibit any funding of such efforts. Jacobs calls the action a "coup" and warns other agencies could be illegally dismantled next.

Elon Musk and his Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have shut down the USAID agency’s headquarters and website, put thousands of staffers on leave, and issued a stop work order on most foreign aid.

As a result of those actions, Jacobs says in a press release, “HIV/AIDS clinics have closed across Africa, hospitals in war-torn Syria have locked their doors, millions of Sudanese refugees will be at risk of catching diseases like cholera, malaria, and measles that are spreading, and so much more.”

Jacobs is the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Development, which oversees USAID. She also worked on international conflict resolution prior to her election and has been schooling other members of Congress on why U.S. Aid is important.

“USAID keeps Americans safe from diseases and terrorism and promotes American farms and businesses,” she says. Jacobs also warns that if the U.S. does not restore USAID programs, our adversaries such as China are likely to fill the gap, replacing the U.S. as allies for nations in need of aid.

On social media, Jacobs elaborated that providing services such as life-saving healthcare, food and more  builds goodwill for the U.S. and helps prevent the rise of violent extremism.

The bill authored by Jacobs and coauthored by 15 other Democrats called the Protect U.S. National Security Act. It aims to prove that USAID reform should abide by laws and “not harm American soft power” as the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) looks to cut federal spending at various agencies and departments. 

The future of USAID remains in limbo after a federal judge temporarily paused the Trump administration’s plan to put thousands of its employees on leave. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for Wednesday. 

Jacob’s bill faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House and Senate.  Jacobs, in a rally with USAID supporters, urged them to contact their Congressional representatives. She notes that numerous Republicans have historically supported USAID.

Jacobs highlights her career working to reform and support USAID, noting that if the U.S. eliminates the international aid agency, it will be “a death sentence for millions of people.” 

On social media, Jacobs has posted, “Freezing U.S. foreign assistance means people will starve, babies will die, and poverty will skyrocket. Millions of Sudanese children are starving – and President Trump just cut off their live-saving support...Eliminating USAID means no more food for millions of Sudanese refugees who’ve fled a civil war, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment on the African continent, and more.”

The Trump administration has accused USAID of “wasting massive sums of taxpayer money” and highlighted 12 projects as examples found by DOGE, but many of those claims have been debunked.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, in his February 2025 order blocking the Trump administration from placing certain USAID employees on leave,  stated that "despite Trump's claim of massive 'corruption and fraud' in the agency, government lawyers had no support for that argument in court,” Politico reports.

Jacobs concludes,  “There’s a lot of disinformation about USAID grants – both their recipients and what they actually do. Does there need to be some reform? Yes. But Republicans’ cherry-picking of grants and data misrepresents ALL the good work that USAID has done.”

Major funding for schools nationwide is at stake 
 

By G.A. McNeeley

February 10, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would begin the process of eliminating the Department of Education, CNN reports. This order would instruct the Secretary of Education to create a plan to diminish the department through executive action. Since Congressional approval is required to eliminate any agency created by Congressional action, Trump also plans to push Congress to pass legislation that would abolish the department.

In an Oval Office press briefing, Trump stated, “I believe strongly in school choice, but in addition to that, I want the states to run schools.” He added that he wants his Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon to “put herself out of a job.”

Potential Impacts: State and National

The prospect of dismantling the Department of Education has led to questions and fears over potential chaos over how key responsibilities and billions in federal funding — including handling federal financial aid, grants for disadvantaged students and civil rights enforcement — would be affected.

First, many Department of Education programs carry out mandates explicitly created by Congress that just can’t be abolished by executive fiat. And second, some of these functions, and the existence of a federal department focused on education, are very popular, even among Republicans.

The Department of Education also has authority over financial lifelines that so many campuses and students rely on. The department’s K-12 programs serve more than 50 million students attending 130,000 public and private schools; federal grant, student loans, and work-study assistance benefits more than 13 million post-secondary students

California has a massive stake in how the department is run. The state receives more than $2.1 billion in Title I grants to counteract the effects of poverty — more than any other state — with $417 million provided to Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system, according to the California Department of Education.

More than 200,000 low-income students in the California State University system, the largest and most diverse four-year higher education system in the nation, annually rely on $1 billion in federal Pell grants to afford college. At the University of California, more than 80,000 undergraduate students received about $454 million in Pell Grants in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Support and Opposition

Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, said, “If it became a reality, Trump’s power grab would steal resources for our most vulnerable students, explode class sizes, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections. Americans did not vote for, and do not support, ending the federal government’s commitment to ensuring equal educational opportunities for every child.”

Tony Thurmond, the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said on X (formerly Twitter), “While the Trump Education Department no longer protects students from discrimination, California law is unchanged. My office remains committed to defending the rights of all California students.”

Liz Sanders, a California Department of Education spokesperson, said, “We are incredibly concerned about what seems to be a thoughtless approach to changing essential federal programs that support our kids every day and support our most vulnerable kids every day. We’re talking about essential academic support services. We want to make sure that these services are able to have a level of continuity for our educators and our families and our students. Simply a one-sentence hatchet job is not how we should make changes that impact our kids.”

Michael Petrilli, president of the right-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute think tank, said, “It would take an act of Congress to dismantle the department and Republicans simply do not have the votes, let alone the fact that it would be an unpopular move in many Republican districts.” He also said that closing down the department was “pretty hypothetical.”

Rick Hess, a senior fellow and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said it was “perfectly reasonable” to abolish the department, or at least downsize it, because of what he called wasteful spending, political biases toward teacher unions and misplaced responsibilities.

Hess and Petrilli have questioned why educational bureaucrats should manage a trillion-dollar student loan portfolio rather than financial experts in the Treasury Department — a shift advocated by Project 2025, the conservative policy playbook written in part by many members of the first Trump administration.

Educational Ranking

Trump lamented US educational performance and cost. “We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, and we’re ranked at the bottom of the list.”

As of 2023, the annual Best Countries Report ranked the United States, on the basis of education rankings, at the top. Ironically, despite the United States having the best-surveyed education system on the globe, U.S. students consistently score lower in math and science than students from other countries. A Business Insider report in 2018, ranked the U.S. 38th in math scores and 24th in science, out of 195 recognized countries.

Can Trump’s plans succeed?

While calls to abolish the Department of Education aren’t new, the move has historically failed to get support from Congress. 

In 2023, 60 Republicans joined 205 Democrats in voting against an amendment that would have expressed Congressional support for ending the authority of the Department of Education to administer K-12 programs. The amendment failed.

But, cuts and changes are being made already via executive action, and more could occur once a Secretary of Education is confirmed.  Dozens of employees at the Education Department were placed on paid administrative leave Friday as part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to rid the federal workforce of employees associated with diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts.

“We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing,” said Trump, who has targeted programs such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory.

But public opinion may play a role. A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed 61 percent of Americans oppose plans to eliminate the Department of Education. And a bipartisan November 2024 survey showed rank-and-file Republicans opposing this idea by a two-to-one margin.

Even if Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Christian Nationalists want to kill the Department of Education, many Democrats, Republican members of Congress from swing districts, and Americans in general may feel otherwise. Trump’s effort to eliminate the Department of Education will prove to be a key test for Republicans in Congress, to determine whether they will choose loyalty to Trump when their constituents learn of the effort, even if most are opposed.

Sources:

@TonyThurmond.

Trump administration drafting executive order to initiate Department of Education’s elimination | CNN Politics.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-04/trump-to-diminish-education-department-financial-aid-fate-uncertain.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-plan-kill-education-department-may-fail.html.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/education-rankings-by-country.