Education Secretary Miguel Cardona misinterpreted President Ronald Reagan when discussing the role of the government in people’s lives.
Speaking alongside Govs. Mark Gordon (R-WI) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) at the 2023 Winter Meeting for the Western Governors’ Association a few weeks ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Cardona said, “I think it was President Reagan who said, ‘We’re from the government. We’re here to help.’”
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Cardona’s mistake drew criticism from former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who said it was “terrifying” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) also chimed in, writing on X, “Miguel Cardona is the exact person President Reagan warned us about.”
Cardona, President Joe Biden’s nominee who was sworn in as the 12th secretary of education in March 2021, appeared to use the quote from Reagan out of context. The full statement said by the former president during a news conference in August 1986 was: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”
Reagan had a vision for a limited government, and his policies could be associated with the narrative that conservatives are anti-government while liberals are pro-government. In this particular conference, Reagan was speaking about how “government tends to 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 and other guests from the Biden administration had in-depth policy discussions with Western governors, covering various topics with a bipartisan approach. The governors representing the 22 westernmost states and territories passed four resolutions aimed at tackling issues such as the opioid epidemic and forestry and species management.
During one of the panels, Cardona discussed the Department of Education’s priorities, including reengaging students after the COVID-19 pandemic and providing them with training needed to excel in their careers. Cardona said the department will conduct “follow-up calls” with governors to support the needs of students across states.
“We’re gonna set up follow-up calls with every governor we met with to make sure we’re available,” Cardona said one sentence before misusing Reagan’s famous quote.
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“There are resources there, there’s technical assistance there, and there’s a playbook that could support the work you’re doing. Count on us as a partner in this. Our students are waiting,” Cardona added.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Education for comment.
