House Republicans celebrate Betsy DeVos confirmation victory by moving to abolish Department of Education

Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, and now a group of House Republicans are moving to put her out of a job by abolishing the department she just took over.

Life comes at you fast in the 115th Congress, man.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced the one-page bill the same day DeVos was confirmed. The only thing it says is that, if enacted, the Department of Education would cease to exist on Dec. 31, 2018. (What’s your New Year’s resolution going to be that year? Mine is to teach an 8th grade science class that the earth is flat.)

Massie elaborated just a little in a statement released along with the measure:

Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development. States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school.

He has seven other Republican representatives signed on in support of the bill.

Abolishing the department is a radical idea. But to be fair, DeVos’ priorities around privatizing public education and weakening federal oversight in schools amount to almost the same thing.