Education is a Right, Not a Ruin

Since Donald Trump took office, his budgets have proposed cutting the U.S. Department of Education by billions, most recently slashing nearly 15%, with roughly $12 billion cut between FY24 and FY26. 

Under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), nearly half of the Department of Education staff has been eliminated. Programs that Montana depends on like Title I, special education (IDEA), and rural school grants are now delayed or disappearing altogether.

For a state like Montana, with its vast geography and sparse population, these cuts are catastrophic. Rural districts rely on federal support for everything from transportation and special education aides to athletic and Title IX programs that ensure girls can play sports. When those dollars disappear, the consequences hit fast: paraeducators laid off, programs cut, and schools left scrambling to meet basic obligations.

Meanwhile, Montana’s legislature, operating under a Republican majority since 2011, has worked relentlessly to control how parents and teachers operate in our schools. They’ve tried to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, restrict what teachers can say, and divert public dollars to private charter schemes.

This is big government being used to control families while defunding the future of our kids.

The loss of these federal investments hits rural Montana hardest. In small towns, school sports are community glue and special education programs are lifelines. Stripped of funding, many districts are now making impossible choices: eliminate enrichment, consolidate services, or lay off staff.

Daines does nothing. While our classrooms struggle and families lose support, he stands by, silent and spineless, more interested in pleasing donors than defending Montana’s children.

I'm running to do the opposite. I will represent every community in Montana by listening, showing up face to face, and fighting for strong, local public schools. I won’t sit in Washington protecting billionaires while our schools fall apart. I’ll work to ensure every Montana child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education.

Montana deserves a government that works for students, not special interests. Call Steve Daines and tell him: (202) 224-2651. Tell him to fight for our education frunding and our Department of Education or step aside for someone who will.