Trump Proposes Merging Departments of Labor and Education

The White House has proposed merging the U.S. Labor and Education departments into a single agency as part of a sweeping reform of the federal government. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, condemned the proposal. She said, “We’re extremely skeptical of the motivations here given how hostile Betsy DeVos and President Trump have been to public education, workers and unions. It seems like this move is just cover for continuing their agenda to go after public schools, gut civil rights and equity protections, provide support for predatory student loan companies and prey on workers.” The Trump administration’s proposal also calls for restructuring the U.S. Postal Service and for the potential privatization of both the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control services and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.