WI: The Department of Education was abolished

Nothing.
The Department of Education came out of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
That came from the consolidation of independent agencies and other programs in other departments.
The opposition to the Department of Education is a symbolic one used to fool people that are opposed to any role that the Federal government takes in education in to thinking that by abolishing the Department that will end the Federal government's involvement in education.
If the Department is abolished, everything goes back to HEW.
 
Technically the Executive can put the administration of the programs anywhere they want. I hear NOAA is in Commerce because Nixon was mad at his Interior secretary at the time. If they wanted to put education programs in the Office of the Coast Guard I don't know if you'd be able to stop them. But the other posters are right, the Executive are required by law to administer the funds.

Of course enforcement of those laws can be lax. I work around federal grants and these days I see programs that...just sit there, not dispersing funds, trying to navigate websites that haven't been updated since Obama left office.

Just an hour ago I was looking into an endangered species program at Interior that...I mean they can't technically END it. But no grants went out in FY18. None announced for FY19. And who's supposed to call them on this? Their own OIG? Congress? Private citizens filing lawsuits? I honestly have no idea.

And honestly D of Ed is the worst these days. Even when they do let you know what's happening it's basically by telegram, they pick the most obtuse media to disperse information and frankly operate from the most confusing style guide of any federal department. (Go see the NEH for an operation that's got its shit together.) Sorry to any Ed employees out there. I feel for you, friends.

The problems I'm noting probably wouldn't fly with major education funding packages, but you'd marvel at how effectively things can get jammed up if you've got people in charge who are intent on some jamming.
 
Top