On Tuesday, May 6, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, hosted a forum on the Administration’s proposal and current activities focused on dismantling the Department of Education (ED). Attended by ten Senate Democrats, the forum was described as “the first in a series” to “expose and create more awareness about the devastating consequences for students, families, educators, and schools.” The event featured testimony from Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angélica Infante-Green, President and CEO of The Education Trust Denise Forte, parent advocate and member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates Diane Willcutts, and Tasha Berkhalter, an Army veteran who was defrauded by ITT Tech. The forum highlighted the historical context and current role of ED, which was described by Forte as having four critical pillars. Willcutts and Infante-Green highlighted the need for ED to continue to function and provide guidance through Dear Colleague Letters and provide technical assistance to states and districts whose oversight, according to Infante-Green, “helps keep honest states honest and helps those who waiver do better.” Willcutts gave examples of the important roles of the Office of Special Education and the Office for Civil Rights in helping students with disabilities and families directly when “one phone call from ED helped a district change its position…so a child [at home due to epilepsy] could take the bus and return safely to school.” Murray concluded by reaffirming that abolishing ED is “deeply unpopular” with the public and asserted that Senate Democrats “will not stand idly by as [the Administration] jeopardizes the rights, opportunities, access, and funding for all our schools and millions of students.”