House education hearing exposes sharp divide over DEI, parental rights and proposals to curtail Department of Education

House Committee on Education and Workforce Chairman Wahlberg convened the committee’s first hearing of the 119th Congress to examine the “state of American education,” and Republicans and Democrats used the session to highlight sharply different approaches to addressing low student performance and disputes over curriculum and federal oversight.

The hearing opened with Chairman Wahlberg saying that “education is key to everything that goes on this country,” and Ranking Member Bobby Scott responded by noting “current reporting that president Trump plans to issue an executive order to eliminate critical programs at the Department of Education and call on Congress to eliminate the entire department.” The exchange framed much of the testimony and questioning that followed.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses cast the debate in starkly different terms. Republicans and several witnesses framed the problem as bureaucratic overreach and ideological programming in schools, arguing for stronger parental access and more school choice. Democrats and civil‑rights witnesses warned that proposals to dismantle or defund the Department of Education would weaken enforcement of federal civil‑rights laws and damage services for students who rely on federal programs.

In her opening statement, Nicole Neely, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, said, “American education is in crisis. For far too long, US schools have focused on everything but educating children,” and criticized what she described as widespread DEI programming in districts and colleges. Neely urged more transparency and accountability in curriculum and foreign funding at both K‑12 and higher education institutions.

Janae Nelson, president and director‑counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, framed the issue differently. Nelson said public education remains central to equal opportunity, referencing the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and warning that “public education is critical to the health of our economy and it is essential to the viability of our multiracial democracy.” She urged investment in proven, evidence‑based interventions such as universal pre‑K, competitive teacher salaries and supports for students with disabilities, and she said the LDF opposes publicly financed private school systems that would divert public funds.

Members pressed witnesses on several related topics. Ranking Member Scott and other Democrats repeatedly questioned whether a president can abolish the Department of Education by executive order; witnesses and members noted that the department was created by statute in 1979 and that full elimination would require congressional action. Republicans and witnesses who favor stronger parental rights criticized federal and local education bureaucracies for reducing parental access to curriculum and student records and for funding DEI programming.

On school choice and vouchers, Republican members and some witnesses described expanded choice as a path for parents to escape underperforming or unsafe schools. Democrats and civil‑rights witnesses argued vouchers can drain resources from the public system and that private schools are not subject to the same transparency, accountability or nondiscrimination requirements as public schools.

Several members and witnesses referenced Project 2025, the conservative policy document, as shaping proposed reforms; Democrats said Project 2025’s proposals to shift funds to private actors and to dismantle the Department of Education threatened civil‑rights enforcement and services for millions of students.

Ending: The committee left the hearing with clear partisan differences over goals and remedies. Republicans emphasized choice, parental access and shrinking federal influence; Democrats emphasized preserving federal enforcement of civil rights, protecting Title I and IDEA services, and increasing sustained federal investment in schools. No formal votes or committee actions were taken at the hearing.