Exclusive — Rep. Harriet Hagemen: ‘We Should Not Have a Federal Department of Education’

The U.S. should “not have a federal Department of Education,” Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily.

When asked by host Mike Slater how Congress can cut spending in reconciliation, Hagemen, who defeated former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), said there is a “whole variety of ways.”

“And one of it is to cut entire programs, as well as just simply reduce what we are outlaying for these various agencies,” she explained.

“I mean, we have got to be looking [at] the way that we’re doing this is through the specific committees. So we need to look at, what is it that… the Education Committee to the cut. Well, I would cut out the federal Department of Education,” she said. “That can save us hundreds of billions.”

The congresswoman emphasized that she would “abolish the Federal Department of Education” altogether.

“Education is a state issue. We should not have a federal Department of Education. We can do block grants to the states, which is what we did prior to 1980, when the Department of Education came into existence. But the federal Department of Education, since it came into existence in 1980, our test scores have continuously slid,” she said.

“When you come from some of the inner city schools, it is just absolutely an abomination. We have entire classes that can’t read and do math,” the lawmaker continued. “The Federal Department of Education has failed. Now, keep in mind, I come from a long line of teachers. I’m not saying we abolish education. I’m saying we abolish the federal Department of Education.”

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She added that she is a “product of before the federal Department of Education,” as she graduated from high school in 1981.

“Our education was controlled by the state and local school board, and I can tell you, they do a phenomenal job. In the state of Wyoming, we have a wonderful Superintendent of Public Instruction. We have people who are dedicated to providing a good quality education to our students in Wyoming,” she said. “The federal Department of Education gets in the way.”

Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.