Teachers union boss appears to flip flop on eliminating Education Department | Fox News
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Randi Weingarten 'really angry' over Ed Dept elimination months after saying union members 'don't really care'
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'My members don't really care about whether they have a bureaucracy of the Department of Education or not,' the American Federation of Teachers president said
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By  

Published March 11, 2025 6:00am EDT

  







[](#) [](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6370056667112)

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President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten appeared to have a change of tune on her position regarding the Department of Education. 

American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten appeared to change her tune on the Department of Education Saturday, getting heated over the prospect of its elimination after previously seeming indifferent.

President , who campaigned on dismantling the Education Department during the 2024 presidential election, is expected to issue an executive order calling on the new Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to start the process of abolishing the agency.

The union head was very animated in an MSNBC interview with Katie Phang when asked about Trump moving to shut down the department, saying, "It's a disaster symbolically as much as a disaster in reality."

Weingarten argued the importance of the  comes from its implementation of programs like Title I, which supports funding for students who are underachieving in areas with high poverty, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that gives disabled children a free education that is tailored to their needs.





However, shortly after Trump won in November, Weingarten seemed to have a different opinion when asked about the president-elect's pledge to eliminate the Education Department.

"I mean, my members don't really care about whether they have a bureaucracy of the Department of Education or not,"  during an appearance on MSNBC. "In fact, Al Shanker and the \ in the 1970s were opposed to its creation."

School choice proponent Corey DeAngelis responded to Weingarten's comments on MSNBC, telling , "Why wasn't Randi Weingarten angry about years of school closures in union-controlled districts? Why wasn't she angry about the latest Nation's Report Card scores showing decades of learning loss? Her priorities are all messed up. She sees the school system as a jobs program for adults instead of an education initiative for kids."



Rachel del Guidice is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to rachel.delguidice@fox.com.

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