Madison Reporter

Senator Chris Larson of Milwaukee has expressed his support for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI) in their rejection of recent actions by the Trump Administration concerning K-12 funding. The Trump Administration has been accused of making illegal threats to withhold funds from Wisconsin’s education system.

Larson commented on the situation, stating: “Wisconsin educators will not be badgered into submitting to the Trump Administration’s illegal attempts to hold back essential funding from our schools. The Administration’s perverse subversion of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not grant them the right to withhold Title I funding already appropriated by Congress.”

He emphasized the importance of a quality education, stating: “Providing a quality public education to every child is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy. The Trump administration’s attempt to bully and intimidate local leaders from carrying out that mission is an un-American attack on local control and must be rejected.”

According to Larson, both WDPI and Wisconsin’s 460 local educational agencies remain in compliance with current federal law. “To be clear, WDPI and Wisconsin’s 460 local educational agencies are all in compliance with current federal law, and any attempt by Trump’s Department of Education to punish Wisconsin schools for failing to sign their phony pledge at this time would be illegal,” he said.

Larson concluded his remarks with a strong statement: “Wisconsin will not cave to petty fascists.”