Florida Democrats condemned the dismantling of the federal Department of Education after Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his Education Secretary to take steps to shut it down following mass firings. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in Washington D.C. for the signing ceremony, which angered Democrats more.
“The Republican anti-education agenda started in Florida,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “For years, Ron and his predecessors have targeted teachers, attempted to rewrite American history, banned books and turned our classrooms into a political battleground. As a result, Florida has the worst teacher shortage in the country and SAT scores continue to decline. Now, Donald Trump is taking this failed anti-education agenda nationwide by dismantling the Department of Education — something 61% of voters oppose.”
Republicans believe President Trump’s executive order will improve education outcomes by empowering parents, states, and communities. The political calculation is that the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the states.
Orlando Democrats also issued strong responses to the Republican action.
“Donald Trump’s executive order to eliminate the Department of Education–a plan pulled from the pages of the Project 2025 playbook–is reckless, cruel, and a direct attack on millions of children,” said Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost, an Orlando Democrat. “The Department of Education ensures that every student across the country, regardless of zip code, income, or background, has access to the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed. Without it, we’re talking about slashing billions in federal funding for our schools, which means cuts to Head Start, Title I schools, Pell Grants, career and technical training, and support for students with disabilities. It means underfunding schools in rural areas, laying off teachers, increasing class sizes, and making college and job training even further out of reach.”
The Democrats said the reasoning behind this is to get more tax breaks for the rich while working families struggle. Democrats also fear the growing academic achievement gaps, school shootings, and the crushing weight of student loans are being ignored.
State Representative Anna Eskamani, who is also a candidate for Orlando Mayor in 2027, took aim at the Republican President. “President Donald Trump took an unconstitutional and deeply reckless step by signing an executive order directing his Secretary of Education to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education—an order that not only disregards the rule of law but also threatens the fundamental rights of millions of students across this country,” Rep. Anna V. Eskamani said in a statement. “This move isn’t about empowering states; it’s about rolling back decades of progress in education equity. It endangers students with disabilities by gutting federal oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), weakens protections against discrimination in schools, and could dismantle critical programs that ensure all children—regardless of race, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status—receive a quality education. His executive order undermines the very foundation of public education and abandons the federal government’s responsibility to ensure equal access to learning. Our children deserve better than political games and partisan attacks on their future. As a proud graduate and advocate for public schools, I will continue to do everything I can to support our students, teachers, and families. Education should be about opportunity, not ideology, and I will not stand by as extremists attempt to dismantle it.”
Republicans insist the federal education bureaucracy is not working and closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them.
Florida Democrats continue supporting the Department of Education.
“This executive order is unconstitutional and orders his unqualified superdonor secretary to eliminate the department, but it won’t give states more power. Instead, it takes us back to a segregation-era education policy and rips away safety nets for millions of vulnerable students,” FDP Chair Nikki Fried added. “It doesn’t surprise me that Ron made the trip to D.C. to spend the day as an Oval Office lapdog. Floridians deserve better than a series of victory laps and photo ops as he ends his lame duck political career. Ron needs to stop grandstanding and get back to Florida.”
“The reality is that the Trump Administration does not have the constitutional power to eliminate the Department of Education without the approval of Congress—however what they will do is defund and destabilize the agency to manufacture chaos and push their extremist agenda,” Representative Maxwell Frost added. “House Democrats and I are working to stop this attack through litigation, legislation, and funding that puts our kids first. We won’t let them rob our children of the bright future they deserve.”
