Dept of Ed to Maxine: I Hear You Knockin’ But You Can’t Come In

Hey, for once I agree with Maxine Waters! The federal bureaucracy has grown unresponsive and inaccessible. The only solution is to shut it all down now!

Wait … was Waters trying to defend the Department of Education with this stunt? What in the world …?

Rep. Maxine Waters is currently pestering a federal employee outside of the Department of Education. pic.twitter.com/I3r7Ttz96l

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 7, 2025

The confrontation began when Democratic lawmakers arrived at the Department of Education building, only to be blocked by private security contractors. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and other members of Congress engaged in a tense exchange with the guards, demanding access to the public building.

“We are members of Congress with oversight responsibilities. We are not dangerous people. We are here to advocate for America’s children,” one lawmaker said, addressing the security personnel. “This is not Russia. We are not thugs or thieves. We are teachers, parents, and representatives of the people.”

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) echoed Frost’s sentiments, criticizing the lack of transparency. “Parents in the United States, if you want to advocate on behalf of your children, you are not allowed to come into this building where you pay taxes,” Waters said. “Children with disabilities, young women who have been victims of sexual assault—we are not allowed to advocate for them. America, we have a problem.”

In the first place, members of Congress are not law enforcement. They do not have the authority to demand someone’s ID. In this clip, it’s very clear that the ‘federal employee’ has already identified himself once for Waters’ stunt; what was the point of having other members of Congress — again, who have no authority to demand identification — to repeat that demand for each member there?

And for that matter, what’s the point of haranguing a low-level employee over administration policy?

“Are you making this decision to stand in front of the store on your own behalf, on behalf of the Department of Education, or were you told to come out here and block members of Congress,” Frost asked the stone-faced security guard to which he simply replied, “I’m doing my job.”

That’s practically a “Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s” moment. And besides, is it not the position of these House Democrats that they want to defend the rank and file of the Department of Education? They are claiming that Donald Trump is abusing his authority by terminating tens of thousands of bureaucrats, all of whom probably have more authority than this hapless security guard targeted by Waters for her rage. 

Instead, all these Democrats did was paint that bureaucracy as unaccountable and unresponsive, even to elected officials. That is exactly what Republicans have argued all along, which is why Trump and Elon Musk are dismantling that bureaucracy. And the fact that Democrats really can’t do anything about it except rage for the cameras is clearly driving them crazy.

Or in Waters’ case … crazier.