Organization expresses alarm
over reduction in force announcement.
By P.C. Staff
The Japanese American Citizens League issued a statement today expressing that it is “extremely alarmed” over a series of actions by the White House that appear to presage an attempt to eliminate the Department of Education.
Citing rumors that President Trump may be preparing to issue the latest in a raft of executive orders, with this one purportedly designed to dismantle the DOE, JACL pointed to a reduction in force announcement issued earlier in the week to eliminate “nearly 2,000 department staff.”
JACL’s statement also underscored its commitment to education, citing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians’ report, titled “Personal Justice Denied.” The organization cited the report for educating Congress on the injustice of President Roosevelt’s executive order that led to the mass incarceration of more than 125,000 ethnic Japanese — most of whom were U.S. citizens — into government-operated concentration camps during World War II. According to JACL, the report’s educational value paved the way for the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988,.
In its statement regarding the possibility of the elimination of the DOE, JACL said, “Rather than dismantling the system, we should attempt to save it and support students, not leave them in darkness.”
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus also released a statement on the reduction in force announcement. A joint statement from CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng (D–N.Y.) and Education Task Force Chair Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said: “Every child deserves a high-quality education, no matter where they live or how much money their parents make. The Department of Education is instrumental in achieving this goal, yet the Trump Administration decided to fire nearly half of the agency’s staff, effectively gutting the agency.
“This is just the first step. The Trump Administration will not stop until the Department of Education is completely dismantled — forcing schools to close, ripping away special education services for students with disabilities, cutting job training programs, and blocking millions of people from joining the middle class.”
In a related story, California on March 12 joined a lawsuit with 19 other states to stop the Trump administration’s DOE cuts. The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts, asserts that the terminations violate the Constitution’s separation of powers, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act.
The JACL’s statement may be viewed here.
