The federal government must do all it can to strengthen public education systems. We must also improve access to higher education and make it affordable to all, so students are prepared for jobs.

Our public school systems should never be on the chopping block, even when budgets are tight. Rather than abolishing the Department of Education, the federal government must use the DOE to improve childhood education across the United States. For starters, the federal government must incentivize states and communities to pay their teachers higher wages.

Rising college tuition costs make colleges and trade schools inaccessible for millions of Americans, while millions more are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. To combat this, Congress must simultaneously work to pass legislation like the College for All Act to establish tuition-free public colleges and trade schools and the Student Debt Cancellation Act to forgive outstanding federal and private student loans.

I know the idea might seem drastic, but many western democracies operate this way. Both these acts will create an easier pathway to economic stability for young people and provide a $1 trillion boost to our economy over a ten-year period.