House Democrats to Secretary DeVos: Don’t Spend Education Money on Guns
173 House Democrats demand Secretary DeVos issue formal guidance prohibiting the use of federal education funding to purchase firearms
WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and more than 170 House Democrats sent a letter today to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos calling on the Department to issue formal guidance prohibiting the use of federal education funding to buy guns for teachers and school staff. The letter comes in the wake of a New York Times report revealing the administration’s consideration of a proposal that would allow schools to redirect federal K-12 education funding, for services like mental health counseling, for the purchase of firearms or firearms training.
“Students and school staff deserve a learning environment that is safe, welcoming, and conducive to quality instruction and student learning,” the Members wrote. “Arming teachers would not only jeopardize student and staff health and safety, but also run counter to Congressional intent, precedent, and common sense.”
According to press reports, the proposal under review would allow Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants authorized under Title IV-A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to be used to arm teachers and other school staff. Title IV-A is a program with bipartisan support that is intended to improve school climate in high-needs schools through a wide range of approaches. Grants can be used for efforts such as expanding students’ access to mental health services, supporting drug prevention and anti-bullying campaigns, improving access to arts and STEM curriculum, and increasing the availability of cutting edge technology to support student learning.
“Title IV-A affords local leaders the flexibility to tailor investments to meet local needs; however, in writing and enacting ESSA, Congress never contemplated, and thus never intended, that such flexibility would allow for the procurement of firearms,” the Members wrote. “Any use of funds to purchase weapons not only violates intent, but it also clearly contradicts the plain reading of the statute.”
The text of Title IV-A of ESSA, which was signed into law in 2015, specifically promotes activities that support “a school environment free of weapons.”
As recently as this year, Congress reiterated its opposition to spending federal funds to put guns in schools. In authorizing the STOP School Violence Act in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting, Congress acted to prohibit program funds from being used for the purchase of firearms or firearms training.
The letter makes clear that, even without further action by Congress, Secretary DeVos must adhere to federal law and honor the intent of Congress. The Members are asking Secretary DeVos for written confirmation, by the end of this week, of the Department’s intent to issue formal guidance prohibiting the use of federal education funding for the purchase of guns.
Such guidance would uphold current policy which was recently reaffirmed by the Trump administration, as evidenced through Department of Homeland Security Grant program guidance, to prohibit the purchase of firearms using federal funds.
The full text of the letter is available here.
The letter is signed by:
Representative Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
Representative Adam B. Schiff
Representative Adam Smith
Representative Adriano Espaillat
Representative Al Green
Representative Al Lawson Jr.
Representative Alan S. Lowenthal
Representative Albio Sires
Representative Alcee L. Hastings
Representative Alma S. Adams Ph.D.
Representative Andre Carson
Representative Anna G. Eshoo
Representative Anthony G. Brown
Representative Barbara Lee
Representative Ben Ray Lujan
Representative Bennie G. Thompson
Representative Betty McCollum
Representative Bill Foster
Representative Bill Pascrell Jr.
Representative Bobby L. Rush
Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman
Representative Brad Schneider
Representative Brad Sherman
Representative Brenda L. Lawrence
Representative Brian Higgins
Representative Carol Shea-Porter
Representative Carolyn B. Maloney
Representative Cedric L. Richmond
Representative Charlie Crist
Representative Chellie Pingree
Representative Cheri Bustos
Representative Colleen Hanabusa
Representative Conor Lamb
Representative Daniel T. Kildee
Representative Daniel W. Lipinski
Representative Danny K. Davis
Representative Darren Soto
Representative David E. Price
Representative David Loebsack
Representative David N. Cicilline
Representative David Scott
Representative Debbie Dingell
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Representative Denny Heck
Representative Derek Kilmer
Representative Diana DeGette
Representative Dina Titus
Representative Donald M. Payne Jr.
Representative Donald McEachin
Representative Donald Norcross
Representative Donald S. Beyer Jr.
Representative Doris Matsui
Representative Dutch Ruppersberger
Representative Dwight Evans
Representative Earl Blumenauer
Representative Ed Perlmutter
Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson
Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative Elijah E. Cummings
Representative Eliot L. Engel
Representative Elizabeth H. Esty
Representative Emanuel Cleaver II
Representative Eric Swalwell
Representative Frank Pallone, Jr.
Representative Frederica S. Wilson
Representative G.K. Butterfield
Representative Gene Green
Representative Gerald E. Connolly
Representative Grace F. Napolitano
Representative Grace Meng
Representative Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
Representative Gregory W. Meeks
Representative Gwen S. Moore
Representative Hakeem S. Jeffries
Representative Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.
Representative J. Luis Correa
Representative Jackie Speier
Representative Jacky Rosen
Representative James A. Himes
Representative James P. McGovern
Representative James R. Langevin
Representative Jamie Raskin
Representative Janice D. Schakowsky
Representative Jared Huffman
Representative Jared Polis
Representative Jerrold Nadler
Representative Jerry McNerney
Representative Jim Cooper
Representative Jimmy Gomez
Representative Jimmy Panetta
Representative Joaquin Castro
Representative Joe Courtney
Representative John A. Yarmuth
Representative John B. Larson
Representative John Garamendi
Representative John K. Delaney
Representative John Lewis
Representative John P. Sarbanes
Representative Jose E. Serrano
Representative Joseph Crowley
Representative Joseph P. Kennedy, III
Representative Josh Gottheimer
Representative Joyce Beatty
Representative Judy Chu
Representative Julia Brownley
Representative Karen Bass
Representative Katherine M. Clark
Representative Kathleen M. Rice
Representative Keith Ellison
Representative Kurt Schrader
Representative Lacy Clay
Representative Linda T. Sanchez
Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester
Representative Lloyd Doggett
Representative Lois Frankel
Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard
Representative Luis V. Guitierrez
Representative Marc A. Veasey
Representative Marcia L. Fudge
Representative Marcy Kaptur
Representative Mark DeSaulnier
Representative Mark Pocan
Representative Mark Takano
Representative Maxine Waters
Representative Michael E. Capuano
Representative Michael F. Doyle
Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham
Representative Mike Quigley
Representative Mike Thompson
Representative Nanette Diaz Barragan
Representative Niki Tsongas
Representative Nita M. Lowey
Representative Norma J. Torres
Representative Nydia M. Velazquez
Representative Paul D. Tonko
Representative Pete Aguilar
Representative Peter A. DeFazio
Representative Peter Welch
Representative Pramila Jayapal
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi
Representative Raul M. Grijalva
Representative Richard E. Neal
Representative Richard M. Nolan
Representative Rick Larsen
Representative Ro Khanna
Representative Robin L. Kelly
Representative Rosa L. DeLauro
Representative Ruben J. Kihuen
Representative Salud O. Carbajal
Representative Sander M. Levin
Representative Scott H. Peters
Representative Sean Patrick Maloney
Representative Seth Moulton
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee
Representative Stacey E. Plaskett
Representative Stephanie Murphy
Representative Stephen F. Lynch
Representative Steve Cohen
Representative Susan A. Davis
Representative Suzan K. DelBene
Representative Suzanne Bonamici
Representative Ted W. Lieu
Representative Terri A. Sewell
Representative Theodore E. Deutch
Representative Thomas R. Suozzi
Representative Tim Ryan
Representative Timothy J. Walz
Representative Tony Cardenas
Representative Tulsi Gabbard
Representative Val Butler Demings
Representative William R. Keating
Representative Yvette D. Clarke
Representative Zoe Lofgren
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