Senator John Kennedy isn’t holding back anymore on the education debate.
Democrats were left speechless after hearing his plan to fix America’s failing schools.
And John Kennedy declared war with this case for dismantling the Department of Education.
Kennedy’s education bombshell leaves Democrats fuming
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy (R) just dropped a truth bomb on the education establishment that has Democrats and union bosses running for cover.
In a powerful speech on the Senate floor, Kennedy backed President Trump’s plan to return education control to the states and dismantle the federal Department of Education.
"I hope we do dismantle the Department of Education," Kennedy declared. "It is basically a conduit for money—except that money goes through the Department of Education and the 4,000 employees there, and they all put a condition on the money as if they knew what was best for each state. They don’t."
Kennedy pointed to his home state of Louisiana as proof that states can do a better job educating children than federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
"I am not saying Louisiana’s scores are perfect. I am not saying that, but it is undeniable that we are on the right track," Kennedy said. "We are. We stayed open, for the most part, during the pandemic. We have trained our teachers. We have established standards. You can’t go to the fourth grade until you can read. We have implemented parental choice."
Democrats have staunchly opposed Trump’s plans to shift control of education back to the states, fearful of losing their grip on classroom curriculum and spending.
The federal government’s education failure
Kennedy’s remarks come as America’s students continue to fall behind the rest of the developed world in math, reading, and science.
National test scores have plummeted since the COVID-19 pandemic, with record learning loss in subjects like mathematics and reading.
Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration spent four years forcing schools to implement radical gender ideology and Critical Race Theory in classrooms nationwide.
Kennedy made it clear those policies have failed America’s children.
"The status quo in America isn’t working," Kennedy said. "We didn’t make it any better as a result of our behavior with respect to the pandemic, and we are behind, but we can catch up if we just do the right things. One of those things is returning education to the states."
The Department of Education’s annual budget has ballooned to $80 billion while student performance has steadily declined. Critics argue the department simply adds an expensive layer of bureaucracy that does little to actually improve education.
Trump’s plan to revolutionize American education
President Trump campaigned on dismantling the federal Department of Education and returning that money and authority directly to the states.
The plan would eliminate thousands of bureaucratic positions in Washington, D.C. while empowering local communities to make educational decisions for their children.
"The key to Louisiana’s future is not the price of oil. It is not what the unemployment rate is. It is not who the Senator is or who the Governor is. It is education," Kennedy emphasized in his floor speech.
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Kennedy’s remarks represent a growing consensus among Republicans that the federal education model has failed and that states can do better when freed from Washington, D.C.’s control.
Under President Trump’s plan, federal education funding would be distributed directly to states as block grants with minimal strings attached, allowing them to implement policies that work for their unique student populations.
Louisiana has made significant progress through reforms including school choice, academic standards, and teacher training.
Senator Kennedy is a former member of the Louisiana higher education system’s board of supervisors, giving him firsthand experience with education policy at the state level.
Democrats are scrambling to defend the failing federal education system as Republicans gain momentum in their push to return power to the states and put parents back in control of their children’s education.