Rosalia Dalton

Jan 29, 2024 | brookings.edu | Rosalia Dalton |Nicolas Zerbino |Katharine Meyer

Candidates in the 2024 Republican primary have echoed decades–long calls to substantially scale back or even eliminate the Department of Education. What candidates mean by “shutting down” is vague. It could indicate a type of restructuring that folds federal programs into or combines the Department of Education with the Department of Labor. Regardless, the message seems clear: Federal spending in education—like the federal role in education—is bloated and .