Video shows lawmakers locked out of Department of Education, denied entry
Democratic members of Congress say they were blocked from meeting with education officials, raising concerns about transparency and access
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WASHINGTON (41NBC/WMGT)- A standoff occurred Friday in Washington, D.C., as Democratic members of Congress were denied entry into the Department of Education while attempting to meet with officials.
The congressional delegation tried to enter the building but was blocked by someone who said, “I have a security responsibility” and would not allow them inside. Lawmakers said they had sent a letter to the assistant secretary of education requesting a meeting but were told, “Nobody has accepted a meeting.”
Lawmakers Speak Out
Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., raised concerns about blocked access for parents and students.
“Parents who have children who are disabled, access is being blocked,” Simon said. “You voted. You voted for members of Congress to advocate on behalf of your children, children with disabilities, for young women who have been victims of sexual assault in our classrooms and on our school grounds, members of OCR are fighting for your children. We are not allowed in the building to talk to them. We are not allowed to advocate on behalf of America’s children. America, we have a problem.”
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, criticized the decision to block access.
“The baseline responsibility of the Congress is to oversee our federal agencies,” Casar said. “Each and every one of us have been in this building and through these doors. But of course, as soon as we get word that Elon Musk and Donald Trump want to shut down the Department of Education, suddenly they don’t want to let members of Congress in that ask questions. Musk and the Republicans, they say they’re supposedly about saving us money, bringing transparency, seeing where the dollars really go. No, they’re the ones that lock the doors and make sure that your elected representatives can’t even ask questions.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., described the situation as unusual.
“In a normal government that’s not under an authoritarian wannabe dictator like Donald Trump, you could walk into this building,” Frost said. “Anybody could walk into this taxpayer-funded building and go to that desk. That is usually how it works. That’s not how it’s working today. They’ve locked all the doors. All the doors are locked.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., warned of broader implications.
“If the American people do not wake up to what is being created, we might not have an opportunity to fight back the authoritarian dictatorship that is in the making,” Omar said. “This is not just about going after public education. This is about going after the system of governance we have in this country.”
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., addressed Acting Secretary of Education Denise Carter.
“We simply want to have a conversation with her, and we have a question to ask her,” Takano said. “Acting Secretary Denise Carter, will you stand up to a would-be king who thinks that he can dismantle the Department of Education without congressional concurrence? He must go through the U.S. Congress to take apart a department that was established in law.”
