Delaware governor on Trump's threats to Education Dept: 'Let's govern with compassion'

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D) encouraged Republicans in Washington to “govern with compassion” amid threats to slash funding from the Department of Education.

In an interview on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday" with Chris Stirewalt, Meyer said he is in favor of looking at ways to balance the budget and reduce wasteful government spending. But he said there's a lot of "uncertainty" about whether programs that support poor children in his state will last.

"I believe in efficient spending of federal money," Meyer said, noting that he cut property taxes as a county executive.

"The challenge that we're seeing now, I'm trying to balance the budget. I'm trying to invest in Delaware. I'm trying to make historic investments in our schools, so those NAEP scores, those assessments of the progress of our children, can both go up and that equity can increase," he said. "So everyone's getting an equal shot."

Meyer said it’s “a lot harder” for families who can't rely on the status of certain federal programs, like Title I, which supplements state and local funding for “low-achieving children, especially in high-poverty schools,” according to the Department of Education.

Meyer said Title I is "really giving kids and families, working families, a shot at making it, of ending cycles of poverty." Similarly, Meyer stressed the importance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which he said provides more than $30 billion to ensure children with disabilities get appropriate public education suited to their needs.

“Right now, there's uncertainty, based on the president's statement about that, those resources may be going away,” Meyer said. “We're hoping it's replaced with other money.”

“Quite frankly, if the rules change, I'm fine with that. If it increases the efficiency of our federal, of my federal tax dollars, as a taxpayer, I like that,” he continued. “But let's not leave anybody behind.”

“Let's govern with compassion while we're making these changes,” he added.

The Wall Street Journal on Monday was the first to report Trump is looking at executive actions to move programs from the Department of Education to other federal agencies, cutting the number of employees and calling on Congress to pass legislation eliminating the department completely.

Bills have been introduced multiple times to do just that, but the measures have so far failed to gain significant momentum.

Reports indicate Trump is facing pressure not to make any big moves against the agency until after his Education secretary pick, Linda McMahon, goes through her confirmation hearing.

The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.

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