Conservative Policy Advocate Joins U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education has appointed Lindsey Burke, a Project 2025 author, as deputy chief of staff for policy and programs. Her appointment follows her 17-year tenure at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank responsible for publishing the 900-page Project 2025 policy blueprint. This document has been a focal point of discussion during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Burke’s role at the Heritage Foundation involved drafting a 44-page chapter focused on transforming the Department of Education. Her ideas align with some of the policies already being implemented by Trump during his second term, despite his earlier criticisms of the document.
The chapter outlines significant changes to federal education policy, including converting funding for students with disabilities and low-income students into block grants managed by states. It also suggests reallocating the department’s services to other federal agencies and promoting school choice using federal funds.
A notable proposal from Project 2025 is the elimination of Title I grants, a substantial $18.4 billion funding stream, within a decade. Burke argues for increased accountability of federal investments, stating that current systems lack proper accountability to the populations they serve.
“Providers are simply not held accountable to the people they’re supposed to serve,” Burke stated in a 2024 interview with Rick Hess. She emphasized a shift in accountability towards parents and taxpayers rather than federal oversight.
Burke maintains that dismantling the Department of Education would not eliminate essential civil rights protections but rather remove ineffective programs. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has echoed these sentiments.
Burke’s previous affiliations include EdChoice and advisory boards on education, and she has authored several reports advocating for policies like school vouchers for military families and challenging Supreme Court decisions on education for undocumented families.
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, praised Burke as a pivotal figure in school choice, referring to her appointment as a significant achievement for American education.
Implementation of Project 2025 Policies
Several of Burke’s proposed policies from Project 2025 are being adopted under Trump’s administration. These include an executive order directing Secretary McMahon to facilitate the closure of the Education Department and the removal of a memo that restricted immigration enforcement actions at schools.
Further, Trump has rescinded protections for transgender students and reinforced a binary understanding of sex under federal policy. He is also working to expand school choice through executive authority, including initiatives involving the secretaries of defense and the interior.
Both Trump and McMahon have suggested additional changes consistent with Project 2025, such as transferring oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to the Department of Health and Human Services and civil rights oversight to the Department of Justice.
Burke described the white paper as offering a variety of options for enhancing Trump’s previous term policies. “Several Republican presidents have taken and implemented our policy suggestions,” she noted in her interview with Hess. “We remain true to that mission and will continue to offer policy recommendations to conservative administrations.”
