Democrats plan probes and spending limits on Trump's Education Department breakup

Democrats who are about to take over Congress plan to challenge President Donald Trump's effort to dismantle the U.S. Education Department. But with Trump threatening to use his veto power, they may be limited to opening investigations and using federal funding as leverage, The Associated Press reported ¹.

The White House has given no sign of backing away from closing the department or from ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies, often called DEI ¹.

Investigations first

Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia is the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He said he plans to "leave no rock unturned" once he takes over the panel's investigative powers, which include subpoenas and hearings ¹.

Scott said the committee will look at the dismantling of the department, its oversight of federal student loans and its anti-discrimination policies ¹. A day after the midterm elections, he sent a letter to 10 federal agencies reminding them to preserve records that might be part of a congressional review ¹.

From Channel GOPVan Hollen asks Patel if lying to Congress is a crimeChris Van Hollen · 192 plays · captioned, with the source named

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, urged her party to "hold the Trump administration accountable for dismantling the Department of Education and turning its back on students" ¹.

Spending bills as leverage

Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee are looking at tougher checks through the budget process. Some plan to attach conditions to spending bills to rein in the administration's education agenda ¹.

Last year, Democrats failed to win broad language in a funding bill to block further dismantling of the department. With majorities in both chambers, they plan to try again ¹.

It's a little harder to try to rebuild an entity just through an appropriations bill,

Some advocates want more. They hope spending language will order the administration to reverse moves that placed special education programs under the Department of Health and Human Services and school discrimination investigations under the Justice Department ¹.

The administration's response

Trump officials denounced the plans. Education Department spokesperson Savannah Newhouse said Democrats are plotting to "prematurely sabotage" Education Secretary Linda McMahon ¹. White House spokesperson Liz Huston accused Democrats of failing American students with "disastrous leadership" before Trump returned to office ¹.

On the right, the Heritage Foundation asked Republican lawmakers a day after the election to propose a bill closing the department and removing any mention of it from federal law. The AP described the effort as a political Hail Mary ¹.

What comes next

Investigations can apply political pressure and show how decisions were made. The AP said they are unlikely to be a substantial brake on Trump's education policies, and there is little optimism about legislative fixes given the veto threat ¹.

Education is also expected to rank lower on Democrats' oversight list than allegations of self-enrichment by Trump and federal immigration raids ¹.

Some advocates want Democrats to push bills anyway. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers union, said: "Even if he vetoes them, let's put the pressure on to get it to his desk, and then you see what the contrast is" ¹.

That matters because the department's work reaches special education, student loans and civil rights complaints in schools. Democrats can ask questions and set conditions, but undoing changes already made is a harder job ¹².

The Record

1. Jan 1, 1980The Education Department opened, according to the Heritage Foundation's argument that it has failed to prove its value ¹.
2. Nov 4, 2026Rep. Bobby Scott sent a letter to 10 federal agencies reminding them to preserve records for a possible congressional review ¹.
3. Nov 9, 2026The AP reported that Democrats plan oversight and spending limits on the Education Department's dismantling, with Trump threatening vetoes ¹².

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Democrats plan probes and spending limits on Trump&#39;s Education Department breakup</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-plan-probes-and-spending-limits-on-trump-s-education-department-breakup">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrats who are about to take over Congress plan to challenge President Donald Trump&#39;s effort to dismantle the U.S. Education Department. But with Trump threatening to use his veto power, they may be limited to opening investigations and using federal funding as leverage, The Associated Press reported .</p> <p>The White House has given no sign of backing away from closing the department or from ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies, often called DEI .</p> <h2>Investigations first</h2> <p>Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia is the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He said he plans to &quot;leave no rock unturned&quot; once he takes over the panel&#39;s investigative powers, which include subpoenas and hearings .</p> <p>Scott said the committee will look at the dismantling of the department, its oversight of federal student loans and its anti-discrimination policies . A day after the midterm elections, he sent a letter to 10 federal agencies reminding them to preserve records that might be part of a congressional review .</p> <p>Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, urged her party to &quot;hold the Trump administration accountable for dismantling the Department of Education and turning its back on students&quot; .</p> <h2>Spending bills as leverage</h2> <p>Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee are looking at tougher checks through the budget process. Some plan to attach conditions to spending bills to rein in the administration&#39;s education agenda .</p> <p>Last year, Democrats failed to win broad language in a funding bill to block further dismantling of the department. With majorities in both chambers, they plan to try again .</p> <blockquote><p>It&#39;s a little harder to try to rebuild an entity just through an appropriations bill,</p><p>&mdash; Chris Van Hollen, U.S. senator, Democrat-Maryland</p></blockquote> <p>Some advocates want more. They hope spending language will order the administration to reverse moves that placed special education programs under the Department of Health and Human Services and school discrimination investigations under the Justice Department .</p> <h2>The administration&#39;s response</h2> <p>Trump officials denounced the plans. Education Department spokesperson Savannah Newhouse said Democrats are plotting to &quot;prematurely sabotage&quot; Education Secretary Linda McMahon . White House spokesperson Liz Huston accused Democrats of failing American students with &quot;disastrous leadership&quot; before Trump returned to office .</p> <p>On the right, the Heritage Foundation asked Republican lawmakers a day after the election to propose a bill closing the department and removing any mention of it from federal law. The AP described the effort as a political Hail Mary .</p> <h2>What comes next</h2> <p>Investigations can apply political pressure and show how decisions were made. The AP said they are unlikely to be a substantial brake on Trump&#39;s education policies, and there is little optimism about legislative fixes given the veto threat .</p> <p>Education is also expected to rank lower on Democrats&#39; oversight list than allegations of self-enrichment by Trump and federal immigration raids .</p> <p>Some advocates want Democrats to push bills anyway. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers union, said: &quot;Even if he vetoes them, let&#39;s put the pressure on to get it to his desk, and then you see what the contrast is&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because the department&#39;s work reaches special education, student loans and civil rights complaints in schools. Democrats can ask questions and set conditions, but undoing changes already made is a harder job .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-plan-probes-and-spending-limits-on-trump-s-education-department-breakup">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/democrats-plan-probes-and-spending-limits-on-trump-s-education-department-breakup.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. PBS NewsHour / AP, “Democrats plan to use new power to rein in Trump's education agenda. But their tools are limited” (2026-11-09). pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-plan-to-use-new-power-to
2. ABC News / AP, “Democrats plan to use new power to rein in Trump's education agenda, but their tools are limited” (2026-11-09). abcnews.com/US/wireStory/democrats-plan-new-power-rein-trump

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.