President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, which was established by Congress in 1979.

The Department of Education is a cabinet-level agency, meaning that the people running the Department of Education are politically appointed. 

“[The Department of Education’s] mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access,” the U.S. Department of Education said. 

With the Department of Education’s mission being to promote student achievement and to prepare students for the future, they distribute funding, loans, and grants. 

“The department distributes federal loans and aid for education, including the Pell Grant, which benefits low-income university students; collects data on the US education system; identifies issues in the system; and enforces federal education laws pertaining to nondiscrimination and civil rights,” Al Jazeera news said.

Prior to the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Education had lots of employees. However, that quickly changed with Trump’s agenda.

“the department had 4,133 workers. Since his inauguration on January 20, its staff has been nearly halved with 600 employees voluntarily resigning while the rest were placed on administrative leave. As of March 11, there were roughly 2,183 workers in the department,” Al Jazeera news said. 

One of the reasons the Department of Education is being shut down is because many believe it is a failing system. 

“The order says closing the department would give children and their parents a chance to escape ‘a system that is failing them’,” Al Jazeera news said. 

Due to the Department of Education being a failing system, the government wants the power of education to rest in the hands of the State.

“The order says the education secretary will, “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities,” AP news said. 

Even though many conservatives want the education of their children to be handled at the state level, many still disagree with the closure of the Department of Education.

“According to a 2024 opinion poll conducted by the national nonprofit All4Ed, 58 percent of respondents across party lines did not want the Department of Education to be abolished,” Al Jazeera news said.

Even though over half of the respondents didn’t want to see the closure of the Department of Education, Trump still signed the executive order. 

“At a signing ceremony, Trump blamed the department for America’s lagging academic performance and said states will do a better job,” AP news said. 

Trump believed that the states and local communities would run the Department of Education better. However, Margaret Spellings believes that the Department of Education has not been holding back their students.

“Margaret Spellings [who served as education secretary under Republican President George W. Bush] said schools have always been run by local and state officials, and rejected the idea that the Education Department and federal government have been holding them back,” AP news said. 

Even though Trump is attempting to close the Department of Education, he is still going to make sure American students still have access to student aid. 

“According to Trump’s executive order, loans and grants will continue to be delivered,” Al Jazeera news said. 

The government will not cut off funds towards K-12, and will continue to help those with special needs. 

“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs,” Linda McMahon said per a report by NASFAA. 

The Department of Education gives out lots of funding for low income students and students with special needs. However, they only make up a small amount of funding for schools.

“Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools,” AP news said.

Even though the department only holds 14% of funding for schools, they are still in serious debt, and the government only sees the department going further and further into debt. 

“The department is the largest source of loans for US college students. The outstanding loan balance in the US stands at $1.69 trillion for nearly 43 million student borrowers,” Al Jazeera news said. 

Even with the department spending money on loans and grants, students continue to fall behind.

“For decades, it has funneled billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system — one that prioritizes leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all while student achievement stagnates and America falls further behind,” said Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation,” per a report by AP news.

With the government and many citizens pushing for the closure of the department, there is still the problem of the “red tape” that the government has to follow. This means the government will have to be careful on how they proceed with the closure of the Department of Education.  

“Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she will remove red tape and empower states to decide what’s best for their schools. But she promised to continue essential services and work with states and Congress “to ensure a lawful and orderly transition,” per a report by AP news.

In order to have a lawful and orderly transition, the executive order must have to be signed by Congress. 

“Trump’s order cannot roll out without approval from Congress because only the legislature has the discretion to close a cabinet-level department,” Al Jazeera news said. 

This hasn’t been the first discussion about closing the Department of Education. 

“In 2023, the House of Representatives voted to close the agency. The move was opposed not only by Democrats but also by 60 Republicans. The House currently has 218 Republican members and 213 Democrats,” Al Jazeera news said. 

Due to the closing difference [this means the amount of Democrats to Republicans are evening out] of Democrats versus Republicans in Congress it is likely they will continue to debate the executive order.

“Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents’ groups demand more authority over their children’s schooling,” AP news said.