President Donald Trump is poised to take a major step toward fulfilling a campaign promise by signing an executive order that will begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education.
The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the department’s closure and shift education authority back to the states. While the move has been long anticipated, it also includes provisions to maintain the delivery of critical services and programs during the transition.
McMahon, who was confirmed as Education Secretary earlier this month, has been tasked with overseeing the department’s wind-down. Trump previously suggested that McMahon would effectively be working herself “out of a job” as the administration works to decentralize education policy. Republican governors and advocates of parental rights in education are expected to be present when the order is signed.
On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly emphasized his desire to eliminate the Department of Education, often to the cheers of his supporters. At a rally in Wisconsin last September, he declared, “We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing.” His stance gained momentum as public frustration with the education system intensified over the past several years.
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare deep dissatisfaction with public schools, as parents grew increasingly frustrated with prolonged closures, mask mandates, and declining academic performance. In the aftermath, additional concerns arose over learning loss, secretive school policies regarding students’ gender identities, and the promotion of controversial ideologies such as Critical Race Theory in classrooms. These issues galvanized a movement advocating for greater parental control in education and a rejection of federally mandated curricula.
Even before this executive order, the Department of Education had begun downsizing under the current administration. Nearly half of its workforce has already been cut, and the department recently revoked over $600 million in federal grants that had been allocated to programs focused on social justice activism, anti-racism training, and race-based teacher recruitment. The order aims to accelerate this process while ensuring that students, families, and educators do not experience disruptions to essential services.
Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary, framed the move as a necessary correction to a failing system. He pointed to recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores, which have shown a significant decline in student performance, as evidence of a national education crisis. “This order will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students,” Fields stated.
The Department of Education, established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, has long been a target for those advocating for smaller government and state-led education policy. However, fully eliminating it would require an act of Congress. Trump’s executive order is expected to weaken the department’s influence in the meantime, likely setting up a battle over the future of federal involvement in education.
Opposition to the order is already mounting, particularly from teachers’ unions and progressive education groups that argue the federal government plays a crucial role in ensuring equal educational opportunities. These organizations are expected to challenge the order in court, seeking to maintain the department’s existence and influence over national education policy.
This executive action underscores a broader ideological battle over who should control America’s education system. Advocates argue that shifting authority back to states will allow communities to shape policies that align with their values and priorities, free from federal mandates and bureaucratic interference. Meanwhile, critics contend that eliminating the department will create inconsistencies across state education systems and weaken oversight. As the legal and political fight unfolds, the future of the Department of Education—and the broader direction of the American education system—hangs in the balance.
