On Friday morning, thirty House Democrats attempted to enter the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., to meet with acting Education Secretary Denise L. Carter, but were stopped by security. A man, who identified himself as a federal employee, did not explain why the lawmakers were not allowed to enter the building. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., asked the man whether he was acting on his own initiative or had been ordered to block the door. The man replied that he was simply doing his job.

As they surrounded the man at the door, lawmakers insisted that they had the right to enter the building and criticized the Trump administration for its lack of transparency, Fox News reported. President Donald Trump and Republicans have pushed for the elimination of the Department of Education, arguing that states are better suited to handle educational matters and would make better use of tax dollars by being closer to — and more accountable to — voters. On Tuesday, Trump stated that if Linda McMahon, his nominee for education secretary, is confirmed, she should aim to “put herself out of a job” by reducing the federal government’s role in education.

Ninety-six members of Congress, led by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., sent a letter to Carter requesting a meeting. The Department of Education acknowledged receiving the letter but did not arrange a meeting. An aide was able to enter the building and informed security that the lawmakers had arrived. However, when members tried to enter the building, they found the doors had been locked, according to Fox News.

Meanwhile, American grade- and high-school students continue to lag behind their counterparts around the world. The Nation’s Report Card, which evaluates the performance of American students in various subjects, revealed that seven out of ten fourth graders are not proficient in reading, a decline compared to the previous report in 2022. The report also highlighted that reading scores have shown “no significant change” since 1992.

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in Trump’s first administration, criticized the department and called for a comprehensive overhaul in an opinion piece. “A complete reset begins with ending the failed experiment resident in the Department of Education. The bureaucrats have focused on mandating DEI, when students needed the focus to be on ABC and 123,” DeVos wrote.

“President Trump and Congress should take their corrosive power away and instead block grant all necessary education funding directly to the states. This reset must also ensure that no child in America is trapped in a failing school,” DeVos added.