Democrats say Rep. Valadao moves to ‘shut down America’s schools.’ Is it true?
Rep. David Valadao has joined a “move to shut down America’s schools,” the Democrats’ congressional campaign arm says.
He hasn’t.
But the Hanford Republican has not said whether he supports President Trump’s decision to dismantle the federal Department of Education. And he’s voted this year for a budget plan that could lead to big cuts in federal school funding.
The dispute over where Valadao stands on education illustrates the dilemma voters face trying to figure out just where candidates stand on an unusually sensitive issue.
Both political parties insist they want better schools and more help for disadvantaged students and communities. Both sides accuse their opponents of impeding any progress in helping achieve those goals.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee blasted Valadao’s education stance in a press release spurred by President Donald Trump’s March 20 executive order that would dismantle the federal Department of Education.
Democrats arguments vs. Valadao
The release was headlined “Valadao, DOGE Move to Shut Down America’s Schools.” DOGE is the agency Trump created to cut government spending.
Viet Shelton, a DCCC spokesman, gave no evidence where Valadao said specifically that he would shut down schools.
The Democratic spokesman cited votes for Republican-authored budget plans that would lead to big education cuts as evidence Valadao supports big cuts in federal school funding.
“David Valadao has voted multiple times this year to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in education funding. Ever since Elon Musk supported his campaign last year, Valadao has stood idly by, falling in line behind the billionaire and the administration while they dismantle the Department of Education - even if it means harming California’s students, families and teachers,” Shelton said.
Musk’s SuperPAC provided funds to help Valadao’s 2024 re-election, according to Federal Election Commission records. Musk is an adviser to Trump who’s leading the administration’s budget-cutting efforts,
Among the Valadao votes this year were a yes to the House budget blueprint that directs the Education and Workforce Committee to cut $330 billion over the next 10 years.
The committee is expected to propose specific cuts in separate legislation later this year. The budget plan also would cut significant funding for the District of Columbia government, including its school system.
Republican arguments for Valadao
Republicans fired back that their goal is to make sure money goes where it is needed.
“Democrats are desperate, dishonest, flailing and rewriting history while America’s students fall further behind,” Christian Martinez, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told The Bee.
“They’re out of touch and owe every parent an apology for blindly defending the bloated federal bureaucracy that’s failed generations of kids, all to protect a broken system they prop up for political gain,” he said.
Schools are largely funded locally and by states. The Trump administration last month announced layoffs for about half the U.S. education department staff, though federal money for areas with high poverty rates and rural areas should not be affected..
After Trump issued his executive order to break up the Department of Education, Valadao issued a statement that did not mention his view on the department’s future but vowed to continue fighting to help local schools
What Valadao said then: “Every student, school, and community is unique, and here in the Central Valley, we know that empowering parents and educators leads to better outcomes for our kids.”
He added that “as discussions about the federal government’s role in our education system move forward, I’ll keep working to make education more affordable and ensure vital programs, including Title 1 funding, TRIO, Pell Grants, and resources for children with disabilities, continue to support our schools and equip our students with the tools they need to succeed.”
TRIO involves eight federal programs “targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities,” a fact sheet says. Pell Grants are provided to undergraduate students with financial needs.
Trump supporters want to place pieces of the education department into other agencies.
The president’s executive order says nothing about closing schools.
According to a White House fact sheet, the order’s chief purpose is “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
It also says that any programs that get department money “will not advance DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) or gender ideology.”
Valadao has been a frequent target for Democrats, since he represents a district that has been divided between Democratic and Republican voters. Valadao first won his seat in 2012, then lost it in 2018. That was in the middle of Trump’s first term, a year when Democrats won big across the country.
Valadao then won the seat back in 2020.
Last year, his primary challengers included Democrat Rudy Salas and Chris Mathys, a Republican deeply loyal to Trump. Valadao got 32.7% of the vote to Salas’ 32.1% and Mathys’ 22%. Valadao then defeated Salas in the general election by 7 percentage points.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Democrats say Rep. Valadao moves to ‘shut down America’s schools.’ Is it true?."
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