On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) reacted to reports that President Donald Trump is planning to axe the federal Department of Education by stating that people on the right “prefer private education and people sort of getting private tuition funded with public dollars rather than public education funded with public dollars. So, it’s always been part of their ideology. And, unfortunately, he’s now in a position to try to implement that ideology and that bias against public education.”
Co-host Sara Sidner asked, “Look, American children have been struggling compared to the rest of the world when it comes to education. Why do you think, though, that Donald Trump wants to get rid of the Department of Education?”
Connolly answered, “I think it became a slogan in the right wing. It was another government agency they don’t need or want. Education is a highly professional career path that many have — many of whose members, of course, are unionized. They don’t like the fact that it is a government-run public service, public education. It’s kind of a cornerstone of what made America great, gave us our greatness, public education. And they don’t like it. They prefer private education and people sort of getting private tuition funded with public dollars rather than public education funded with public dollars. So, it’s always been part of their ideology. And, unfortunately, he’s now in a position to try to implement that ideology and that bias against public education.”
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