Letters to the Editor | March 30, 2025

It is a strike against our democracy that President Donald Trump is attempting to dissolve the U.S. Department of Education. Staff who administer federal education programs will likely be drastically reduced or eliminated, and the department’s responsibilities supposedly will be distributed among other agencies. This sounds like a prelude to cutting federal education funding, as well. Those who will suffer are the children in schools that depend heavily on federal funds — among our nation’s poorest children. The federal government’s critical work of supporting civil rights in education across the country will also be weakened, if not disbanded.

Who will counter the states that try to bring religion into our public schools? Who will push back against school districts that refuse special services to children who need them? Who will act against school districts that refuse to offer algebra and advanced math to children who “look like” they can’t manage it and might bring down the overall school test scores? Our children’s civil rights are at stake. And the future of our country is in danger if we allow our already lean federal support for public education to shrink. The basis for our democracy is an engaged and well-educated public. I fear for our democracy if support for public education is not front and center.

Carol Fixman, Philadelphia

The Inquirer has reported comprehensively on the Trump administration’s focus on “discouraging” attorneys from representing plaintiffs in cases against the government. As a physician in training in 1975, I was scheduled for a three-month rotation at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Boston. One of the questions on the standard form necessary for payroll purposes was, “Are you, or have you been, a member of the Communist Party.” While I could have honestly answered no, I thought it was inappropriate for the government to inquire into my beliefs before permitting me to work as a resident at a VA hospital, where I would perform diagnostic studies and would have no administrative, budgetary, or policy responsibilities.

The VA forbade me from starting my rotation, essentially terminating my training. Fortunately, a prominent white-shoe law firm quickly agreed to represent me pro bono. It immediately obtained a preliminary injunction in federal court. I completed my training and, eventually, we won the case. The VA, rather than appeal, removed the question from the form. Sadly, given the current government, I suspect I would have trouble finding a law firm that would risk its reputation, and likely government harassment, defending a single young physician, further opening the door to the creeping authoritarianism we are experiencing.

Stuart Shapiro, Philadelphia

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