President-elect Donald Trump's education secretary pick could likely be Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice. However, Justice is the same person who has called for the abolition of the department that she might lead.
"Parents are the number one driver of student success. Parents were put in the back seat when it came to their kids' education. We need to put them in the driver's seat, and I know that President Trump believes that, too," Justice said Monday on "Fox & Friends First."
"Ultimately, I believe the Department of Education should be shut down. Since it was created, we have only seen plummeting achievement scores, teachers unions having more influence on our kids' education and more global interference in our kids' education. It's no coincidence that kids in Kenya are learning the same type of comprehensive sex education curriculum that they are in New Jersey, so we absolutely need to stop the waste at the federal Department of Education and put parents back in the driver's seat."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump plans to challenge the state of U.S. higher education by launching a free online university offering bachelor's degrees. He also vows to "deport pro-Hamas radicals," push for safer and "patriotic" campuses, and overhaul the accreditation process to allow alternative educational programs.
However, abolishing the Department of Education would be a difficult task, requiring the approval of 60 senators. Reports suggest a reconciliation bill defending education programs and bureaucratic positions is a more likely alternative.
But, if the department remains, Justice has said that the incoming Trump administration must focus on eliminating Critical Race Theory and address what she calls "transgender insanity" in public schools.
"We want to get back to common sense governance in the United States of America. We want more school choice. Parents have the fundamental right to direct the education of their children. They should have transparency into what their children are learning in school and ultimately have the choice as to where their child is educated," she said, according to Fox News.
"President Trump is a really smart guy. He's made amazing picks so far in his cabinet, and I have no doubt that he will find many ways to accomplish the things that he has promised the American people that he will do."
Speaking to the media in September, Justice said she would be "honored to serve" as Education Secretary.
"I think there's a cultural revolution happening in America, and I think our schools are being used as one of the major battlefields. And so, I'm willing to serve in the next administration; however, I need to because we have got a country to save," she said at the time.
