‘You’re Pretty Out Of Touch With Recent Events’: Maggie Hassan Slams Nominees Over Trump’s Recent Actions

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During Thursday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) questioned nominees about President Trump's agenda.

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00:00and giving them the access to educational programs that I think we all want to achieve.

00:06I yield back, Mr. Chair.

00:09Senator Hassan.

00:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to the nominees.

00:15Congratulations on your nominations, and congratulations to your families, too,

00:19because I know this is a team effort.

00:22To all of you, before turning to education issues,

00:25I want to ask you all a simple question related to recent events.

00:30And we'll just go down the line here.

00:32If directed by the president to take an action that would break the law,

00:36would you follow the law or follow the president's directive?

00:38Dr. Schwinn, we'll start with you.

00:40The president would not ask me to do that, and I will always follow the law.

00:43The same.

00:44The president would not ask me to do that, but I will follow the law, Senator.

00:47The president wouldn't ask me to do anything illegal, but I would always follow the law.

00:51Sir?

00:52Same.

00:53Well, I thank you for your commitment to following the law.

00:56I am disappointed in your, I don't know, it seems to me you're pretty out of touch with recent events

01:03and about the president's behavior.

01:05Dr. Schwinn, you're nominated to be the second in charge at the Department of Education.

01:12Unfortunately, the administration is abdicating its responsibility to ensure that all American children

01:17can receive a high-quality public education that prepares them for citizenship, work, and life.

01:23We should be focused on how to improve public education, how to build a system that is the envy of the world,

01:29but instead the president has moved to close the Department of Education.

01:33Do you support the president's goal of shuttering the Department of Education?

01:37I support, I think, the shared goal that we all have to your, the first part of your question,

01:42that we want an education system that is the envy of the world.

01:46Ninety percent of our students attend public schools.

01:48We need to make decisions that are in the best interest of them.

01:50So that's not my question.

01:52Do you support shuttering the Department of Education?

01:55I support the president's EO, which is to explore all the opportunities and options

01:59around what is in the best interest of students, including shuttering the Department of Education.

02:03Well, I'll just, you know, given some of your testimony, some of Ms. Ritchie's testimony,

02:08I'll remind you all that the reason the Department of Education was established

02:11was because the needs of students weren't being met through the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,

02:17particularly the need to make sure that we were focusing on all students in the wake of the passage of IDEA,

02:24that we wanted a department that prioritized kids.

02:27And in fact, when adults stop being pushed to prioritize children and students,

02:35they generally lose because other agencies will put adult needs first.

02:39So I have real concerns about this.

02:41I will also note that the Department of Education does not make decisions about teacher recruitment,

02:47teacher pay, class size, curriculum.

02:50Those are all state and local decisions.

02:52The department is there to provide technical assistance and support, which it does,

02:56and it has very effectively done so in New Hampshire,

02:59where some of our public schools are really doing remarkable and good work.

03:05Now, I am particularly concerned that this administration abruptly and irresponsibly

03:10cut off critical funding for school districts and states

03:14that Congress directed through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

03:17to train and place mental health professionals in schools.

03:21As someone who has worked at the state and district levels,

03:24Dr. Schwinn, do you think that what the department did helps or hurts the communities

03:30that were counting on the funding that they were promised?

03:33If confirmed, do you commit to reining in the chaos and operational failures

03:38that we are seeing at the department?

03:39I believe that mental health is incredibly important for students in this country.

03:43Three quick points.

03:44One, the grants were discontinued and will be rebid.

03:47Two, if I am confirmed as deputy commissioner, I will ensure that I am working

03:52to have an efficient, effective, and outcomes-oriented department.

03:56And number three, I commit to work closely, certainly with the secretary

03:59and with Congress, to ensure that what you have passed is what is actually implemented.

04:03Let me just tell you that in New Hampshire, we had a five-year program through grants

04:08that has been training up mental health workers for schools

04:11in concert with the University of New Hampshire so that we are training specifically.

04:16That just got pulled.

04:18So after two years of investment in this program,

04:20students in our Manchester public schools doing really important work for our kids,

04:25helping them get to a place where they can begin to improve their achievement.

04:29This administration has just recklessly pulled the rug out from under

04:32without any indication that there's any difficulty

04:37with the actual operation of this program.

04:41So it has disrupted schools.

04:43It is disrupting critical services that support mental health

04:48in our biggest school district, and it is really unfortunate.

04:51As I have said before, unlike a good carpenter who measures twice before cutting,

04:58this administration just cuts, and it is doing real, real harm.

05:01I will submit for the record a question that follows up on Senator Murray's

05:06really about assessment and accountability.

05:10I will note that since this administration took office,

05:16the department no longer posts the backlog of cases in the Office of Civil Rights.

05:22New Hampshire has a backlog of about 51 cases.

05:26That was as of January 14th.

05:28This administration has gone dark.

05:30We don't know how many there are right now,

05:32but most of those cases are cases of discrimination

05:35against students with disabilities or alleged cases,

05:38and I hope very much that we can get back to posting information

05:41and adequately staffing OCR.

05:47I thought I saw Senator Banks come in, but I don't see him now.

05:51What's that?

05:53Jim, do you want to...

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