On Saturday, President Donald Trump marked his first 100 days in office—a milestone that has traditionally been used to judge new presidents on their ability to translate electoral victory into governing success. New Administrations typically take the opportunity to highlight early legislative accomplishments and campaign promises fulfilled. While notoriously ambiguous on policy details as a candidate, Trump did offer a detailed list of actions that he committed to achieving in his first 100 days. He promised quick and resounding victory on a number of major initiatives, including health care, immigration and infrastructure, but has found limited success realizing his policy goals in these areas. So how has the president performed on education and workforce training issues so far?
The Administration got off to a rough start when trying to fill the top jobs at the Departments of Education and Labor. Following a contentious confirmation hearing, Betsy DeVos was narrowly approved by the Senate to become secretary of education, with the help of an unprecedented tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. The president has yet to nominate a candidate to head the department’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
Trump’s initial pick for secretary of labor, a position that would oversee most federal job training programs, withdrew his nomination after allegations of past misconduct surfaced before his confirmation hearing. Former Bush Administration official and law school dean Alexander Acosta was selected as a replacement—his nomination was approved by the Senate last week.
At a meeting of community college leaders in February, Secretary DeVos acknowledged that the president’s outline for his first 100 days included a focus on “expanding vocational and technical education.” In the plan, Trump committed to pushing for legislation in Congress that would do just that. However, that measure—referred to as the School Choice and Education Opportunity Act in Trump’s action plan—never materialized. Moreover, the Administration has been tightlipped about its legislative priorities for the reauthorization of the Perkins Act, which may again be taken up by Congress in the near future.
President Trump has attempted to pad his list of early accomplishments by issuing a series of executive orders. Done unilaterally without the need for congressional approval, many of these measures have been largely symbolic with little direct impact on federal policy. One such executive order, signed by Trump last week, instructs the Department of Education to conduct a review of federal actions that have infringed on state a local control over education, echoing a common refrain of conservative interests.
In March, the White House released its initial budget framework for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. While it does not include the requested funding levels for Perkins (a more detailed plan is expected in late spring), it does propose to cut the Departments of Education and Labor by 13 and 21 percent respectively. The plan specifically highlights proposed cuts to funding for afterschool programs, teacher education programs, student financial aid, educator professional development and job training services.
It seems that rolling back many of the Obama Administration’s education policies is where the White House has seen the most action during the first 100 days. The president and Congress overturned a controversial federal rule concerning state accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act. They also blocked regulations affecting teacher preparation programs at higher education institutions. Both measures are part of a larger effort by the White House and congressional Republicans to radically cut back on federal rules and regulations across government.
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