America’s Founding Fathers never intended for Washington, D.C., to dictate how children in Kansas or Kentucky learn to read, write, and think. Education was, and should be, a local and parental matter. President Donald Trump rightly stated in Executive Order 13985, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, "The experiment of controlling American education through federal programs and dollars...has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families." That failure is clearly documented by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as "The Nation’s Report Card." Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, NAEP scores had stagnated or declined. Today, nearly 40% of fourth graders read below basic level, despite record federal funding. Billions of taxpayer dollars have produced declining literacy.
It’s not just ineffective—it’s indefensible.