WASHINGTON (CITC) — U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently misquoted former President Ronald Reagan while pushing for schools to view the federal government as a partner.
The education official’s remarks from earlier this month began to go viral on social media Monday. Speaking to his department’s availability to assist public schools, Cardona claimed, “I think it was President Reagan who said, ‘We’re from the government. We’re here to help.'”
Reagan’s actual quote was, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” In a 1986 press conference, Reagan emphasized how the federal government can be inefficient “to such a degree that instead of helping, it often causes harm instead,” according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Cardona drew criticism from parental rights advocates on social media for the misstep, with some saying that whether the move was “ignorance or radicals trying to change history,” it is “exactly the problem.”
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos also chimed in, calling Cardona’s remarks “terrifying.”
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Cardona has sparked controversy with several public remarks in recent months. In September, he incited outrage while discussing parents speaking out at school board meetings during an interview with The Associated Press.
“I respect differences of opinion,” Cardona noted in September. “I don’t have too much respect for people that are misbehaving in public and then acting as if they know what’s right for kids.”
Cardona claimed at the time he has never seen education in its current state, declaring there was once “civility.”
“We could disagree,” he said. “We could have healthy conversations around what’s best for our kids.”
The Department of Education is currently under scrutiny for its proposed rewrite of Title IX, which Cardona has consistently advocated for. The rewrite, if implemented, would prohibit sex discrimination in schools.
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Proposed regulations also include a ban of gender-identity based discrimination. House Republicans claim such an adjustment harms the women Title IX was “designed to protect.”
“By redefining ‘sex discrimination’ to include ‘gender identity,’ the proposed regulations … will effectively wipe out female-only sports and spaces in every federally funded school,” Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. wrote to Cardona earlier this month.
The congresswomen believe the proposed regulations would virtually ensure young women “lose out on opportunities, scholarships, and even their basic rights to privacy and safety.”