U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order to abolish the Department of Education for good as part of his election campaign promise to return education power and decisions to the respective states. He will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.
Earlier this month, Trump said the Department of Education will be shut down entirely. “You’ll have a few people left just to make sure the states are teaching English – you know, you say reading, writing and arithmetic.” However, the Trump administration needs congressional approval to abolish the federal agency.
McMahon needs Congress to carry out the president’s vision to close the department, and it requires 60 ‘yes’ votes in the Senate. The secretary said the Department of Education will still administer statutory programs, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grant making.
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U.S. Facing Education Crisis At National Level
Harrison Fields, the White House principal deputy press secretary, said the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores reveal a national crisis. He highlighted that Democrats, over the past four years, have allowed millions of illegal minors into the country, straining school resources and diverting focus from American students.
Moreover, the rise of anti-American CRT and DEI indoctrination has taken toll on the most vulnerable in the U.S. Fields said President Trump’s executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students.
Trump wants to empower every parent in the United States, to send their children to public, private, charter, or faith-based schools of their choice. He said the time for universal school choice has come. “As we return education to that state, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.”
Shutting Down Department of Education Impact
Shutting down the Department of Education will weaken federal civil rights enforcement, and leave millions of students without crucial protections against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ancestry sex, gender, disability and age.
According to the ACLU, it will suppress students’ ability to seek justice when their rights are violated. It also allows discriminatory practices, like uneven and unfair targeting of students of color for school discipline, inequitable access to advanced coursework, and the refusal to provide accommodations to students with disabilities, etc.
Furthermore, key federal grant programs are at risk, including Title I funding which provides critical support to schools serving low-income communities.
