Rep. Burgess Owens told Newsmax on Monday that he "absolutely" supports the plan to do away with the Department of Education.
The Utah Republication explained to "National Report" that eliminating the DOE and bringing the decision-making back to each state would provide great and varied innovative approaches to learning, as opposed to "the stale bureaucrats in D.C."
The congressman, who is a member of the House Education Committee, stressed that the notion that "the parents in the districts in the states have less concern and less competency to work with our kids than D.C. does ... that is what has to change ... and we're realizing that right now with the failure of the DOE."
Owens added that the Education Department "is not part of our Constitution," explaining that it was created in 1979 due to a deal between President Jimmy Carter and the teachers unions.
Owens said that at the time the United States was first in the world in education, but that now the nation has fallen to about 30th.
The congressman stressed that the first priority for education in the upcoming Trump administration should be choice and learning loss, as well as "emphasizing children first rather than the institutions."
Owens emphasized that "our children are our most important national security we have. We can do everything else right, but if we don't teach our kids to have critical thinking skills, to have confidence in themselves, pride in our past and a vision for the future, if we don't do that, then we will lose in all from within."
Owens also spoke of Trump's Cabinet picks in general, saying that "we have some very competent people" and we have a nation in much need of new thought.
He pointed out that "we have seen how over the past four years we were missing that."
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