A conservative group unveils a plan for Trump to overhaul the Department of Education by dismissing key officials.

The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative government research nonprofit, has published a list of top bureaucrats at the Department of Education that it recommends President-elect Donald Trump should fire. The nonprofit, which is funded by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, compiled the list of 19 "dossiers" naming "America's Most Subversive Education Bureaucrats." AAF President Tom Jones, a former Republican congressional staffer, told Planet Chronicle Digital that the list was not compiled at the behest of the Trump transition team but rather because the conservative organization believes it's important that the American people understand that there are ideologues within the federal government who have an agenda that they're willing to implement despite the clear direction from the voters in November. Jones believes that it's fundamentally undemocratic for a group of people who don't reflect the will of the American people to implement their agenda over that of what the American people said was their will in November. He also believes that the higher education system in America is broken and that the events of last summer, where left-wing pro-terrorist groups took over American campuses, should have been a wake-up call for all Americans.

According to Jones, the list comprises individuals who are "serial donors" to Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, and President Biden, as well as other "hard core ideologues" who prioritize their own progressive agendas, such as promoting Biden's student loan "bailouts," increasing regulations on successful online class partnerships, and conducting a "witch hunt" against Christian and career colleges through the Student Financial Aid Office of Enforcement.

Jones identified one individual at the Office of Enforcement who had spent his career at the Maryland Attorney General's Office investigating career colleges and Christian colleges. He pointed to another person who stated that he would work to turn the DOE into a "mini-CFPB," a reference to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Jones described as "essentially just a witch hunt factory that's used to investigate organizations of people that the administration doesn't like." The nonprofit described one general attorney for the DOE included on the list as "a leading legal advocate for transgender rights in the debate over religious exemptions for certain universities."

Unless these individuals are removed from their positions within the Department of Education, they will continue to work behind the scenes to undermine alternatives to traditional four-year institutions, according to Jones.

The nonprofit claims that a civilian employee in the DOE Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) spearheaded a "$6.1 billion student loan forgiveness scheme for art institute students." According to Jones, this is not relief but a huge giveaway to people who pursue unaffordable college degrees. Jones argues that it is unfair and wrong for the federal government to repay student loans for someone while putting the burden on other professions, such as plumbers, welders, and teachers who did not go to college. Jones believes that if someone wants to pursue a college degree, they should be prepared to pay for it.

Another DOE employee is accused of aiding the Biden administration in weaponizing federal student aid policies against faith-based higher education.

The nonprofit has accused the person of playing a key role in the DOE imposing a $37.7 million fine on Grand Canyon University, the largest Christian college in the US, for allegedly misrepresenting the cost of its doctoral degree programs. The Biden administration has been accused of effectively "bullied" the college into wiping out student debt for them. Jones, who is named on the list, stated that everyone on it earns six figures, with some even making an annual salary of over $200,000. The average American teacher's salary is around $50,000 to $60,000. Jones criticized the "woke bureaucrats" at the Department of Education for attacking alternatives to education, including career colleges and Christian colleges, and for getting rich doing it. He expressed hope that the administration would recognize the unacceptability of this and take action to stop it.

"Jones stated that the individuals being discussed are not technical experts, but rather engaged in policy and ideological work. He emphasized that this work is not related to plumbing, and that these individuals are similar to political appointees who can be removed at the start of a new administration."

"I hope the administration treats them like political appointees and asks them to leave, as if they don't, they will bring left-wing political ideology to the administration for the next four years. Unfortunately, we saw some of that happen in the first administration. I am cautiously optimistic that the administration has learned their lesson and won't let unelected bureaucrats run roughshod over their agenda during this administration."

Linda McMahon, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, still needs to undergo a Senate confirmation process, according to Jones.

The Department of Education is in dire need of a shake-up, and I'm thrilled that she has the freedom and resources to do the hard work required to modernize the agency, which is still stuck in the 1970s, despite the world's advancements in education. Planet Chronicle Digital contacted the Department of Education press office and individual staffers for comment.

The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) created a list of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees that they recommended the Trump administration remove. DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas condemned any attempts to harass or intimidate DHS employees. However, according to Jones, Mayorkas used the power of the DHS to suppress speech by groups like the AAF. There were no instances of anyone feeling threatened, but Mayorkas ordered investigations of the AAF within the DHS. Jones believes that this is an example of the weaponization of the US government under the Biden administration and that the idea of people feeling targeted is a false narrative used to shut down speech that the administration does not agree with.