Let’s get political! No, I’m not going to argue with you and your personal opinions, but I do want to explain the impact that some members of the Trump Administration are going to be able to have due to their standpoints on the environment and education.
Donald Trump
Why not start with our main guy, Donald? President Trump has been voicing his opinions regarding global warming and climate change for years. His views have been widely distributed over all forms of media, from national news networks to his personal Twitter account, and he has made it very clear that he believes global warming is a hoax. Not only has he tweeted about his beliefs, but he may pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement , which “brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.”
Additionally, the page for climate change on whitehouse.gov disappeared almost immediately after President Trump took office, making a clear statement of his views on climate change.
Scott Pruitt
Scott Pruitt is President Trump’s pick for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. What are his views on environmental issues? Pruitt has a history of being skeptical about the validity of climate change. In May 2016, he co-authored an article in the National Review titled ‘The Climate-Change Gang’. Although he does not blatantly state that he is a firm believer that climate change is not real, he states that the global warming debate is “far from settled” and encourages public debate about it in schools and in Congress. However you perceive the article, it is clear that he is not convinced that global warming is a real phenomenon. He also has ties to, and may have benefitted financially from, fossil fuel companies. But the ambiguity doesn’t stop here; during Pruitt’s Senate confirmation hearing on January 18, he stated that he “does not believe climate change is a hoax” and that human activity contributes “in some matter” to climate change.
Betsy DeVos
Betsy DeVos is President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of Education. There has been a lot of skepticism from the public regarding her nomination, and for valid reasons. Not only is she a billionaire, but she has never attended a public school and has never had to take out a student loan. She instead advocates for charter schools and religious schools, as she and her family are Christian, and has stated that her work in education is in part to “advance God’s Kingdom.” Understandably, some people are having a hard time accepting the fact that DeVos is going to effectively reform public schooling in America.
Not only has the skepticism been drawn from her general background, but she also had a hard time during her Senate confirmation hearing, where she seemed uninformed about various issues regarding public education. These issues involved involved the well-known debate of proficiency vs. growth, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, school accountability, and gun-free zones around schools, which you can find concise summaries of here.
But why is this important?
Scott Pruitt’s nomination is concerning, not only because he has gone back and forth on his views regarding climate change, but also because he has been a “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” the agency that he may soon be in charge of. And if the Administrator of the EPA is wish-washy about his beliefs, how is this going to impact the future of the youth of America? Will the beliefs of the President and his cabinet override scientific facts, and is this going to impact what is being taught in public schools?
Betsy DeVos’s nomination is also concerning, as she seems to lack experience and expertise regarding public education. While she does want to reform the education system, is the promotion of charter schools really the right type of reform and is Betsy DeVos really the right person to be making these changes? Will she attempt to inject religion into public schools across America, a country where the State and the Church are supposed to be kept separate?
These are only a few of the many questions that need to be asked when considering President Trump’s nominees, as they are going to be making reforms regarding the environment and education for the next 4 years, essentially shaping a generation of young Americans. Today, more than ever, it is increasingly important to remain aware and knowledgeable about candidates, platforms and policy-making in order to be able to make well-informed political decisions.