Trump Moves to Shut Down Department of Education in Unprecedented Executive Order: Report
President Donald Trump is poised to take a historic step in reshaping American education by issuing an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
The move, expected as early as Thursday, would direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to initiate the process of dismantling the federal agency, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The draft order reportedly states, “The experiment of controlling American education through federal programs and dollars—along with the unaccountable bureaucrats they fund—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families.”
It instructs McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” within the confines of the law.
McMahon, confirmed Monday as education secretary, has fully embraced her role in dismantling the agency. In an email to staff, she called the effort a “momentous final mission,” stressing the need to eliminate “bureaucratic bloat.”
During her confirmation hearing last month, she criticized the department’s “excessive consolidation of power” and pushed for “education freedom, not government-run systems.”
Trump, a longtime critic of the department, signaled last month that McMahon’s ultimate goal was to put herself “out of a job.”
The agency, established in 1980 under President Jimmy Carter, has long been a target for conservatives who argue the federal government should not dictate national education policy.
Support for the initiative has come from prominent Republican figures.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), a key supporter of the move, has repeatedly emphasized the need for reform in the education system and believes McMahon is the right person to help achieve that goal.
“For too long, our educational system has been failing our children, and Linda will put a focus on returning power to the states to foster much-needed reform and restore excellence in K-12 education,” he wrote in an X post on Monday.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy (R) also voiced his support for the initiative, highlighting the importance of parents having control over their children’s education.
“Parents have the right to educate their kids as they see fit—and the responsibility to protect them from unhealthy, unhappy, and discriminatory woke lies that too many government schools have been peddling,” he wrote in a Facebook post last month.
Trump’s push to dismantle the department aligns with his broader campaign to eradicate “wokeness” and “indoctrination” in schools.
His administration has also leaned on the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to streamline federal agencies. DOGE’s audits have already identified billions in cuts, including over half a billion dollars saved by eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) grants, according to The Daily Mail.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle has strongly opposed the move, warning that shutting down the department would “steal resources from our most vulnerable students, explode class sizes, cut job training programs, make higher education unaffordable, take away special education services, and gut civil rights protections.”
The Department of Education oversees critical funding for low-income students and those with disabilities. Without congressional approval, Trump’s order may face legal hurdles in fully dissolving the agency.
Reports indicate that his advisers are strategizing ways to dismantle non-mandatory functions while shifting essential responsibilities to other federal agencies.
Education Department spokeswoman Madi Biedermann reaffirmed McMahon’s commitment to executing Trump’s vision.
“He was very clear about what he wanted, and Secretary McMahon made it clear she’s here to implement his agenda,” she stated.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Leave a Comment