U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling a campaign pledge and advancing a long-standing goal of many conservatives. The president criticized the agency for its “breath-taking failures” and pledged to return the federal funding it controls to individual states.
Trump expressed intentions to shut down the department as quickly as possible, but White House officials acknowledged that doing so would require an act of Congress. The move has already sparked legal challenges from opponents who seek to block the agency’s closure and the accompanying staff cuts, which were announced last week.
The Department of Education, established in 1979, manages student loans and oversees programs supporting low-income students. Despite the perception that the federal government runs U.S. schools, most school funding and curriculum decisions are made at the state and local levels. Federal funds contribute only about 13% of the total funding for primary and secondary schools in the U.S.
Trump’s administration has repeatedly criticized the department for what it sees as efforts to “indoctrinate” students with controversial racial, sexual, and political material. Trump argued that despite the U.S. spending more on education than any other country, American students’ performance ranks poorly.
During the signing ceremony, Trump, surrounded by children seated at school desks, further emphasized the need for restructuring the U.S. education system, claiming the country spends 5.4% of its GDP on education, which is higher than some but not all nations.
The department’s annual budget of $238 billion accounts for less than 2% of federal spending, but Trump’s administration has already begun reducing its workforce. Nearly 2,100 employees at the department are expected to be placed on leave starting Friday.
Despite facing challenges, the Trump administration hopes to shift the responsibility of education to state and local governments, allowing them to manage policies and funding more effectively. However, the American Federation of Teachers and other critics have condemned the plan, warning that it could harm children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The executive order calls for Linda McMahon, appointed as the department’s head, to lead the closure process while ensuring that critical education services remain uninterrupted.
This decision aligns with broader Republican criticisms of federal bureaucracy and represents a significant reshaping of U.S. education policy.
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