I write this letter to ask President Trump:  What is the United States built on? 

Now that probably sounds like a loaded question, one with countless answers; but really it all comes down to intelligence.  Intelligence, ideas, and creative thinking — all the way from the very first hunter-gatherers to current surgeons, astrophysicists, and other experimenters.  To reach their full potential, they all required some form of education or learning, some more than others. 

So allow me to propose another question for you:  Why are you choosing to limit society’s intelligence?

The most recent budget cuts to the Department of Education are already setting up the impending school years (2026-2027) for failure.  Since layoffs for U.S. employees have skyrocketed 245 percent, more so with half of the employees of the Department of Education being cut and removed, we are essentially damning the next generation of young scholars. 

Because of the budget cuts, the National Center of Education Statistics (origins of which go back to 1867) is also losing at least 95percent of its staff, which means we are cutting off central resources and information to educators and researchers that require it, as well as “complicating the distribution of funding.”  As of right now, low-income schools and those in more rural areas will be receiving next to nothing, in regards to funds and grants.  Without these grants, or help from the federal government, these schools are going to have an exceedingly hard time staying afloat.  But, there may be a solution to all of this.

It is no secret that the United States is over $36.8 trillion in debt, and this fact cannot be overlooked.  So it is not wrong to believe that many federal programs should be cut, to better our country and save our money —this much I understand.  But instead of cutting the very education that prepares young leaders for the world, how about government office space? 

That may sound odd, but according to various news sources, only “12 percent of space is being used in the Federal Government headquarters.”  The Government Accountability Office or GAO has estimated that a whopping $100-$200 billion dollars could be saved if we disposed of these underutilized government properties. 

Of course, some of them have essential purposes, but do we really require them all, especially when federal occupancy is at such a low rate?  Hundreds of millions of dollars go into maintaining these office spaces which are not even used. 

In prior years, the House Oversight Committee spent $3.3 billion just on furniture alone.  Why not cut this?  We could have saved land, resources, and most of all, money.  And isn’t that what you want? 

Another process that could be cut for the better is producing coins.  Did you now that producing a singular nickel costs 11.5 cents?  Producing pennies and nickels has cost the United States over $179 million dollars,  If we were to terminate or at least lessen the production of coins, we would be saving millions of our dollars, instead of losing the very system that provides our younger generations with the necessary knowledge to survive and thrive in this world.

Mr. President, you are not a student, so you likely cannot relate to those in the younger generation.  You are not searching for what colleges you want to apply to.  You likely are not worried about how much money you can spend monthly.  But we are, especially now. 

Thirty percent of U.S. college students rely on federal loans, but because of these budget cuts they will have to either drop out of school, leaving fewer options for the future.  With the Department of Education gone, discrimination will also no longer be prohibited, and those with disabilities under the IDEA program or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, such as my sister, will no longer be protected or have the proper support they need to live in our society (which is 15 percent of students, or 7.5 million).  Because of your actions, millions upon millions of students will be losing their education protection; but most importantly, their chance to obtain knowledge.

I will conclude this letter as I began it, with a question:  Who does the government serve?  The people.  And the people do not want to see their education flushed down the drain with no hope for the future.  The people do not want to see their children left stagnant and lost, with no resources to receive the proper knowledge for the next chapter of their lives. 

As a bright student in high school myself, I can confidently and firmly say that I, too, do not want to see my education, the very foundation of my future, crumble beneath my feet.

Abrielle Xerena Albertson-Kelly is a 16 year-old junior at Norwalk High School.