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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he supports dismantling Department of Education in D.C. column

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a news conference on the last day of the legislative session at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Bethany Baker
/
The Salt Lake Tribune
Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a news conference on the last day of the legislative session at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 7, 2025.

In an opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner, a conservative news outlet based in Washington, D.C., Cox said he supports President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Education Department.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox supports President Donald Trump’s recent cuts to the Department of Education and said he backs the president’s plan to dismantle the federal department entirely.

He announced his position in an opinion piece published Monday in the Washington Examiner, a conservative news outlet based in Washington, D.C.

“If we’re serious about improving education, it’s time for a thoughtful, commonsense discussion about winding down the department altogether,” Cox wrote. “That’s why it’s encouraging to see President Donald Trump and newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon reducing the role of the Department of Education and returning power where it belongs: to states and local communities.”

A spokesperson for Cox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The piece was published about two weeks after Cox and other GOP state leaders on Feb. 28 announced a series of public education investments, including a $1,400 raise for all public school teachers.

“We see you. We recognize you,” Cox said to public educators at the time.

That raise announcement came after Cox signed a bill into law on Feb. 14 that bans collective bargaining for teachers and other public workers. Utah labor unions have since launched a referendum to repeal the measure; Cox said Feb. 28 that the raises weren’t meant to squash the then-planned effort.

Read the full report at sltrib.com.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.