Bills at the Hill

Rep. Tlaib Condemns Efforts to Abolish the Department of Education and CFPB

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February 12, 2025 – Washington, D.C.

During this morning’s House floor speeches, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) delivered a fiery denunciation of the Trump administration’s reported plans to abolish the Department of Education and shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). She characterized these efforts as an attack on working-class families, students, and vulnerable communities, and called on her Republican colleagues to vote publicly on these proposals rather than allowing Elon Musk and private interests to dismantle key institutions behind the scenes.

Tlaib’s Key Concerns: The Future of Public Education

Rep. Tlaib warned that the abolition of the Department of Education (DOE) would have devastating consequences for millions of American students, particularly low-income families, students with disabilities, and communities of color.

1. Title I Funding for Low-Income Schools at Risk

  • Title I grants provide billions in funding for schools serving economically disadvantaged students.
  • Without DOE oversight, these funds could be eliminated or mismanaged, disproportionately harming cities like Detroit, Southfield, Dearborn, and Livonia.

2. Special Education and Civil Rights Protections Could Disappear

  • Programs that serve students with disabilities, including those with autism and learning disorders, are administered by the Department of Education.
  • Without federal oversight, Tlaib argued, states could neglect or defund these programs, leaving vulnerable children without necessary support.
  • The DOE is also responsible for enforcing civil rights laws in education, ensuring that LGBTQ+ students, students of color, and those with disabilities are protected from discrimination.

3. Attacks on Curriculum and History Education

Tlaib criticized efforts to “whitewash Black history” in schools, saying that eliminating the DOE would accelerate these efforts.

“We also know that states across the country want to whitewash Black history, as if Black history is not American history.”

Defending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Beyond education, Tlaib also slammed efforts to dismantle the CFPB, an agency created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers from financial fraud and predatory lending practices.

1. CFPB Protects Consumers from Financial Scams

  • The CFPB has recovered $21 billion in stolen funds from banks and corporations that cheated consumers.
  • The agency has been instrumental in capping credit card late fees, eliminating junk fees, and removing medical debt from credit reports.
  • Without the CFPB, financial predators would operate unchecked, she warned.

2. Mortgage and Loan Fraud Protections Would Be Eliminated

  • The CFPB is where Americans call when they experience mortgage fraud, payday loan scams, or unfair debt collection practices.
  • Tlaib said that abolishing the agency would be a gift to Wall Street and corporate interests, allowing financial predators to “run wild” while working-class families pay the price.

3. Elon Musk’s Role in Dismantling Consumer Protections

Tlaib accused Elon Musk and Project 2025 of being behind the effort to dismantle both the DOE and CFPB, arguing that billionaires want to protect themselves, not the American people.

“President Trump’s minion, Elon Musk, wants to steal hard-earned money from the working class to reward billionaire donors and CEOs.”

A Call for Transparency: “Vote on It”

Tlaib repeatedly challenged House Republicans to hold a public vote on these proposed agency eliminations rather than allowing private interests to dictate policy behind the scenes.

“If you want to do it, then the American people deserve to see how you vote. Will you leave our children behind or not?”

She pledged to vote against the elimination of both the DOE and CFPB, emphasizing that her constituents rely on these agencies for education funding and financial protections.

What’s Next?

With House and Senate budget bills currently in markup, the fate of the Department of Education and the CFPB may become a major legislative battle in the coming weeks.

  • Will Congress move forward with defunding these agencies, or will Democrats and some moderate Republicans push back?
  • Will there be a public vote, as Tlaib demands, or will changes happen through executive action and budget negotiations?

Expect more heated debates as these issues come to the forefront of the 2025 budget showdown.

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