NEW: Trump To Formally Sign Executive Order That Would Close The Department Of Education
President Donald Trump is officially moving forward with his plan to dismantle the Department of Education, a move he campaigned on and has taken steps towards implementing since he was inaugurated on January 20.
Trump has long pointed to declining nationwide standardized test scores and overall poor performance of the U.S. public education system despite the fact that the nation leads the world in education funding. The president, along with proponents of abolishing the department, have long called for education to be returned to state control.
“NAEP (JP of Educational Progress) scores reveal a national crisis — our children are falling behind,” Harrison Fields, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told Fox News. “Over the past four years, Democrats have allowed millions of illegal minors into the country, straining school resources and diverting focus from American students.”
“Coupled with the rise of anti-American CRT and DEI indoctrination, this is harming our most vulnerable,” he added. “President Trump’s executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students.”
While Trump has acknowledged that full abolition of the department would require congressional approval, the president is preparing a series of executive orders that will work to dismantle the Education Department from within by redirecting funding and reducing its workforce. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who was confirmed by the Senate on March 3, has vowed to faithfully implement the president’s plan for the department and usher in a “new era of accountability” for American education.
“The reality of our education system is stark, and the American people have elected President Trump to make significant changes in Washington,” McMahon said in a March 3 memo. “Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly.”
Administration officials briefed on the president’s plan expect many Education Department duties to be transferred to different departments. A plan drafted by the Heritage Foundation previously suggested that the student loan program should move to the Treasury Department, while civil rights enforcement would move to the Department of Justice. These changes, however, would also likely require congressional action.
The White House has cited the fact that 13 Baltimore area schools have zero students proficient in grade-level reading and writing despite billions spent on public education in the U.S. Trump has also criticized public educators and teachers unions for spreading “radical” left-wing ideologies to students.
“The Trump Administration recently canceled $226 million in grants under the Comprehensive Centers Program that forced radical agendas onto states and systems, including race-based discrimination and gender identity ideology,” McMahon’s fact sheet states.
The memo also details the administration’s commitment to giving state’s ultimate authority of the education of their students. “I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice,” Trump said. “The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.”
It is unlikely that Congress would agree to abolish the Department of Education outright. Such legislation would require a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to support the bill. The possibility of this happening is viewed as next to impossible.
In 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives considered an amendment to a parental rights in education bill that would have abolished the department. The legislation garnered just 161 “yes” votes, as 60 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.
“I would not hold my breath that [closing the department] would ultimately become law,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who chairs the House Education Committee, said in an interview next month. “So in the meantime,” the congressman added, “my efforts would be to find any means by which we may de-power the Department of Education.”