NORFOLK, Va. — As President Donald Trump moved forward Thusday with his fight over the Department of Education, political analyst Dr. Eric Claville said the President is actually taking a step back.
“This is really what we see as a step back to states’ rights," Claville explained.
Watch: Parents concerned as Department of Education lays off thousands
It’s a fight he said Republicans have been having since the department was created.
Claville described Trump’s effort as dismanteling the department, not eliminating it. Eliminating it would require Congressional approval and that, he said, is not likely to happen especially since neither republicans nor democrats have a super majority in the House or Senate.
“By dismantling, moving the functions, of an agency from one department to another in effect it doesn’t eliminate the department but it makes it ineffective," said Claville.
Watch: Department of Education announces plan to eliminate roughly half of its workforce
News 3 e-mailed Hampton Roads school districts, asking for interviews to discuss how the districts could be impacted, but none of the districts made anyone available.
News 3 also reached out to the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia. We wanted to know if the food bank was anticipating being impacted. For example, if schools lose funding for meals would the food bank see an increase in demand from families.
A spokesperson for the food bank said the impact to the food bank from the Department of Education is "distant." They did say, though, any cuts to federal funding in general does impact the food bank because the cuts could impact what she called vulnerable populations.
Watch: USDA cuts impact Foodbank serving Hampton Roads
They said food-insecure college students could be particularly hard hit, so News 3 called Tidewater Community College.
In February 2024, News 3 covered the ribbon cutting for the food pantry at the college's Norfolk campus.
The school representative we talked with Thursday afternoon said as of Thursday the school didn’t know what impact, if any, to anticipate because the school didn’t know exactly what changes were going to come from Washington.
Watch: Food pantry for students opens at Tidewater Community College Norfolk campus
“If you eliminate the department, there’s work that needs to be done. Who’s going to do that work?" said Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine.
In a Zoom call with reporters March 6, Kaine expressed concern about the potential elimination of the Department of Education. He said the Secretary of Education wasn’t able to answer his questions about the issue during her confirmation hearing and vowed to continue asking questions once the Executive Order is signed.
“When it does come out, those are the kinds of questions that I’m going to be posing to the administration," Kaine said.
Thursday afternoon, Kaine released a statement in response to the Order being signed.
“Everyone knows that economic success in America begins with a good education, whether that be a four-year degree or a stellar K-12 experience and high-quality career and technical programs. President Trump’s executive order to gut the U.S. Department of Education underscores how out of touch he is with students, parents, and educators. This order will have negative impacts on every student and harm our economic growth and competitiveness. It will cut off critical funding for K-12 schools, make it harder for students with disabilities to access educational opportunities, and hinder students’ ability to access higher education and job training. We should be investing more in younger generations, not less, and I will fight to ensure every student—regardless of their zip code—can continue to receive the high-quality education they deserve.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also released a statement Thursday. The news release containing the Governor's statement said the Governor and state education leaders "expressed support for the Executive Order issued by President Donald J. Trump returning education to the states."
“Virginia is ready to take full responsibility for K-12 education. We have implemented a high-expectations agenda that sets rigorous standards, holds schools accountable for results and prioritizes resources to the students and schools that need the most support. We welcome the federal government’s shift of responsibility to the states—and we are grateful that President Trump's executive order does just that. The EO also makes it clear that there will be no discrimination in the classrooms. We will continue to ensure every student graduates career-, college-, or military-ready.”
Claville believes the Executive Order related to the Department of Education is one of many the U.S. Supreme Court will likely consider taking up.
