Lawmakers joined teachers and activists outside of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 12 to protest the confirmation hearing of education secretary nominee Linda McMahon and to call for the preservation of the Department of Education, in an event organized by the National Education Association.
Approximately 100 attendees stood in the snow and freezing rain for two hours with 10 congress members, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott, to demand President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency consider the necessity of protections for students with disabilities, civil rights within the classroom and accessible resources for students and teachers.
The NEA, the largest labor union in the U.S. with three million members, held the event with an ASL translator and bused members to the Capitol building for the protest. The NEA focuses on advocating for equitable public education for students across the country and opposes the use of vouchers to move students to private schools.
According to Reuters, Trump has promised to shutter the Department of Education “immediately” via executive order, although constitutionally only Congress has the power to change or abolish government department statutes.
Miriam Pirone, a public education speech therapist from northern Virginia, said she would ask Trump and Musk to reconnect with the public school system before shutting down the Department of Education.
“Please stop and sit with one of my students, see the work that I do before putting an axe to it all,” Pirone said.
McMahon, Trump’s nominee for education secretary and a former World Wrestling Entertainment business owner, vowed she would “return education to the states” in her Senate confirmation hearing on Feb. 13. During the hearing, MacMahon said that Congress’ approval would be needed to shut down the Department of Education, although cuts have already started being made within the department, including a $900 million funding decrease for a federal research agency that tracks students’ academic progress.
“People misunderstand what the Department of Education does,” said Lizzie Lodinsky, a reading interventionist for elementary students in Fairfax, Virginia. “It gives funding for [Individualized Education Programs] and title programs… what has been politicized has been teaching.”
Individualized Education Programs partner with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to offer unique services for students with physical or mental disabilities, and Title I provides increased opportunities to low-income students. These programs are some of the core functions that the Department of Education provides.
Gladys Marquez, a member of the NEA Executive Committee, worries that the abolition of the department will increase inequalities among students. Instead, she believes that “education should benefit everyone.”
“Public schools are a right. That’s why we are here to fight,” the crowd chanted between speakers.
The first speaker and moderator of the protest was Becky Pringle, president of the NEA, who emphasized the importance of public education as “the foundation of our democracy.”
Next to Pringle, stood Sanders, who has been a longtime supporter of public education and has denounced Trump’s slew of executive orders.
“What the oligarchs and billionaires want to do is to cut program after program including education in order to give massive tax breaks to the very richest people in this country,” Sanders said.
Musk, who has pushed for the closure of multiple departments and the layoff or furlough of hundreds of government employees, is currently the world’s wealthiest person with a $394.2 billion net worth, according to Forbes.
Over 2024, the budget of the Education Department was approximately $90 billion in discretionary spending, which was used to fund multiple K-12 public programs.
“My generation will be watching … [legislators] have to decide between students and billionaires,” said Adah Crandall, a student who is a national organizer for Sunrise Movement.
The Sunrise Movement sent student representatives to protest McMahon’s confirmation hearing on Feb 13. and to implore legislators to support public schools.
Annikah Mishra, a sophomore at Georgetown University, is also concerned about what the future could hold if the department is eliminated. Mishra said while growing up in Alabama, she saw the stark differences between underfunded public schools and private institutions.
“All our students matter,” attendees continued to chant.
Teresa Henry, a protest attendee from Alexandria, Virginia, said she has seen her daughter — a public school teacher — struggle with extreme anxiety since Trump got into office. She said that students have come to her daughter increasingly afraid over the past two weeks.
Representative Alma Adams (D-NC) encouraged the crowd not to lose hope from the Trump administration’s threats. Adams, who attended public schools, was a professor before serving as a representative.
“Education is not a privilege, it’s a right,” Adams said.
The crowd began to dwindle as rain fell harder, yet a few police officers continued to surround the perimeter as the lights around the Capitol and Senate turned on.
One of the last speakers, Daniella Knight, an advocate for the group MomsRising, promised that in the coming months, students — particularly LGBTQ+ students — would not be left alone, no matter what the Trump administration decides.
“Students of America, we love you, we support you and we will protect you,” Knight said.
This article was edited by Abigail Hatting, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Hannah Langenfeld.
