Eric Hovde calls for closing U.S. education department, blasting it as a 'monstrosity'

Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde is calling for closing the federal Department of Education, describing it as "one of the worst monstrosities that’s ever been created."

Hovde, a businessman running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the Nov. 5 election, casts the agency as a symbol of bureaucratic overreach and a source of youth indoctrination. His position mirrors what's become a national talking point and part of the Republican party platform. Donald Trump said he would shut down the agency. The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 also called for its closure.

"They're trying to push gender ideology, which is just nuts and all these other things," Hovde said about the department at an event with conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro last week. "They're trying to social engineer your children. So I am just so fundamentally opposed at this. And the Department of Education, if I get to the U.S. Senate, one thing I'm going to say, 'hey, there's a spot to save a lot of money and do America a lot better' (is) closing that thing for good."

Baldwin and other Democrats have defended the agency and argue the GOP desire to dissolve the department shows the party's lack of support for public schools and teachers.

"Every kid deserves a quality education no matter where they live or how much their family earns," Baldwin said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That means funding our schools and supporting the Department of Education, not attacking it."

Shutting down the department would require congressional approval, which experts have said is unlikely. Still, the idea brings attention to what the department does and where the two candidates stand on issues under its oversight.

Hovde's campaign did not respond to two emails and two phone calls seeking to discuss his position on the department.

State and local governments primarily responsible for school oversight, not U.S. Department of Education

Republican calls for abolishing the federal education department date to the Reagan era. The agency was founded in 1979 by Democratic President Jimmy Carter to fulfill a campaign promise to a teachers union.

Hovde said at the Shapiro event that the department "(tries) to tell you how to educate your kids from Washington, D.C." He supports decisions being made at the local level — but that's largely the way the current system already works.

The department has little sway over K-12 curriculum decisions, such as what books are appropriate for students. Those decisions typically fall to local school boards and sometimes state governments. The department conducts research and offers guidance on best classroom practices, most of which is optional.

State and local property taxes primarily fund public school systems. School districts get some federal money, mostly to help low-income students, students with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency. Altogether, though, less than 15% of K-12 school funding passes through the federal agency, according to the Peter Peterson Foundation, an organization that promotes debt reduction.

Pell grants, other financial aid managed by federal education department

The department is responsible for managing federal financial aid programs. It runs the federal work-study program and administers Pell grants to make college more affordable for low-income students.

More than 63,000 Wisconsin students received Pell grants totaling $241 million in 2020-21, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The average award was about $3,800, and 99% of students receiving the grants came from families with incomes of less than $60,000.

Hovde's campaign did not respond to a question asking whether he supported moving the administration of Pell grants to a different agency or eliminating them altogether.

Baldwin said she supports students, while her challenger "wants to put their access to a good education at risk."

Student loans and controversial debt forgiveness programs also an Education Department responsibility

Managing federal student loans also falls under the department's oversight.

Under the Biden administration, the department has canceled more than $160 billion in student loans for 4.7 million borrowers, largely by adjusting the rules of existing programs.

The Biden administration has also tried launching new loan forgiveness efforts. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to eliminate $10,000 in federal student loan debt for for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 per year. His new repayment plan, known as SAVE, is tied up in federal court.

Forgiving student loan debt remains a polarizing idea.

Hovde's campaign did not respond to the Journal Sentinel requests for comment. He has previously criticized the concept of loan forgiveness, saying it is unfair to people who worked to pay off their debt and to people who do not go to college.

Baldwin said she supports targeted debt relief for teachers, nurses and other public servants. She is also sponsoring a bill offering free community and technical college tuition for students, which she said would help them acquire skills to succeed without being dragged down by debt.

Department's Office of Civil Rights often in the spotlight

The Department of Education's most controversial work involves defending students' civil rights through its Office of Civil Rights. It investigates claims of discrimination, such as when Jewish students filed complaints alleging antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

The department also issues regulations about how civil rights laws should apply to students, under the direction of the administration.

The Obama administration, for example, wrote new rules on sexual assault in schools and colleges. The Trump administration rolled them back, handing more protections to those accused of assault and saying the previous rules went too far.

More recently, the Biden administration wrote rules providing greater and more explicit protections for LGBTQ students. Republican-led states have sued to block the rules, with a judge putting the regulations on pause in many states, including some schools in Wisconsin.

Hovde did not respond to questions about whether he supports moving the department's Office of Civil Rights to a different agency or eliminating it altogether.

Baldwin's campaign said she supports the office and Biden's rules protecting LGBTQ students.

(This story was updated to add a video.)

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at [email protected] or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde calls for closing Department of Education