Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, was in the White House audience and was recognized by Trump in his remarks. She said the department allowed teacher unions to exert undue influence over schools, a problem that became more apparent while schools were closed and students were learning over Zoom.

RI's Democratic congressional delegation slammed President Trump's order to dismantle the U.S. Dept. of Education, while RI Republicans applauded it.