March 21, 2025 – Washington D.C, United States.

In a surprise move on Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that signals the start of efforts to dismantle the US Department of Education, a longtime goal of conservative forces in the Republican Party. The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to initiate moves to “shut down” major operations of the department, essentially avoiding the need for congressional approval to formally close it.

At a White House signing ceremony, Trump framed the Department of Education as an ineffective, bloated bureaucracy that has failed to deliver meaningful outcomes even after a massive budget increase in recent years. “We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible. It’s doing us no good,” Trump complained, blaming the department for spending more and more taxpayer money without showing improvements in national education performance.

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Although the Department of Education lacks direct control over school curricula—this is largely in the domain of state and local governments—the Trump administration move is in line with the president’s frequent campaign promise to “send education back to the states.” Trump emphasized that local governments, not federal bureaucracies, must be the primary decision-makers in the arena of education.

McMahon, who sat in the front row of the signing ceremony, smiled graciously when Trump expressed how much he wishes she would be the last to hold the title of Secretary of Education. The signing was held in the White House’s East Room, where a group of schoolchildren sat at small desks, reinforcing the president’s message about returning control of schools to local governments.

The budget of the Department of Education for every year comprises massive federal grant and loan programs, such as the $18.4 billion Title I program for Title I schools with high poverty levels for K-12 school children and the $15.5 billion IDEA program for disabled students. Trump’s executive order, nonetheless, asserts that such programs, along with the $1.6 trillion federal program of student loans, will remain unscathed, although the very specifics of how these programs will be maintained are unclear.

The decree also directs McMahon to begin trimming the department’s operations and staff. Recent months have already seen significant layoffs within the department, where nearly half of its workers have been cut by the Trump administration’s broader effort to shrink federal government offices. The move comes after a traditional Republican grievance that the Department of Education is a politicized, wasteful bureaucracy that burdens public schools with unwarranted federal control.

The effort to close the education department, initiated during the Reagan administration, accelerated in recent years, particularly among Trump’s populist base. Trump’s base of grassroots voters have griped about what they see as federal overreach into educating Americans. The new executive order is part of a broader plan to reduce federal influence on American life, as Trump supporters think that states ought to be in a position to set their own standards of education.

Last month, Republican Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie proposed a bill to phase out the Department of Education by 2026, but the bill has not yet made a serious move in Congress. Trump’s executive order takes a different route, avoiding the legislative process, setting the stage for potentially far-reaching changes in the education world.

Capitol Hill Democrats were quick to criticize the executive order as endangering to unleash disastrous consequences on millions of low-income students and their families. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the move as an attack on public schools, particularly in low-resource communities. “Closing the Department of Education will hurt millions of children in our nation’s public schools, their families, and committed teachers,” Jeffries wrote in a statement. “Class sizes will balloon, teachers will be fired, special education programs will be cut out, and college will become even less affordable.”

Progressive lawmakers like Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida also denounced the executive order as an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent the approval of Congress. “The Trump administration is undermining the very foundation of American education, destabilizing the system, and pushing a divisive political agenda,” Frost said. “They cannot dismantle the Department of Education without Congress’s approval.”

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Despite these caveats, Trump’s proposal to abolish the department is part of a wider vision of decentralizing authority in education. Significant proposals by Trump’s administration have sought to shift federal funding of education into block grants that would give states the freedom to choose how to spend the funds. Such block grants could be used to abolish specific federal mandates, allowing states to spend on disabled students or low-income students at their discretion.

The second dominant feature of Trump’s education reform agenda has involved the pressure for school choice, including expanded school voucher expansion, where public funds could be used for tuition payments in private schools. Trump’s presidency has also emphasized education policies that prioritize “parents’ rights” in education, something that aligns closely with priorities of conservative activists who have endeavored to restrict progressive ideologies from gaining traction in schools.

In the last few months, the Trump administration has taken a series of steps to reorient the priorities of the Department of Education, such as reviving the controversial “1776 Commission” to promote patriotic education, and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The moves are criticized as part of a broader effort to bring right-wing political ideologies into public schools.

After the executive order, McMahon wrote a memo to the Department of Education staff, telling them, “This is our opportunity to do one final, memorable public service for future generations of students.” She framed the destruction of the department as part of a broader vision of a “freer, stronger” system of education, although many members of the education establishment have called the feasibility and effectiveness of such a drastic policy shift into question.

Trump’s action is just one part of a broader effort to roll back the federal government and return authority to the states, but the road ahead is guaranteed to be filled with legal challenges and opposition from Democrats and some Republicans. While the executive order signals the beginning of the end for the department, it’s not certain what the ultimate end will be for the Department of Education—and the millions of students who rely on its programs.

In the coming weeks, the administration will come under intense scrutiny as it moves ahead with its plan, and the impact on federal education spending and programs could define the national dialogue regarding the future of American education.

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