However, the order faces constitutional hurdles and must be approved by the US Congress, leaving its future unclear.
The U.S. Department of Education, created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, is responsible for distributing federal aid, issuing student loans and overseeing education law. Conservatives have long criticized the department as an inefficient bureaucracy.
US Department of Education headquarters. Photo: Unsplash
Before Trump’s executive order, the U.S. Department of Education was already significantly downsized. When Trump took office, the department had 4,133 employees, but by March 11, that number had dropped to 2,183 due to a wave of resignations and layoffs as part of a federal workforce reduction campaign led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump's executive order, titled "Improving Educational Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities," tasked Education Secretary Linda McMahon with dismantling the department.
The order cites data from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which found that 70% of eighth graders were poor in reading and 72% were poor in math, to argue that the federal education system has failed.
Implementing the order will not be easy. According to the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to dissolve a cabinet-level agency. Although some Republicans, such as Senator Bill Cassidy, support Mr. Trump’s plan, the bill would need 60 votes to pass in the US Senate, while the Republican Party only controls 53 seats.
In 2023, an effort to shut down the Department of Education in the House failed when 60 Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it. The House currently has a 218-213 Republican majority, making the likelihood of Trump’s executive order passing very slim.
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order to dissolve the US Department of Education with students at the White House. Photo: White House
On student loans, the order states that loans and grants will continue, but it is unclear how they will be distributed if the department is eliminated. With the total outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. reaching $1.69 trillion, any change could cause major upheaval in the education finance system.
Trump’s education policies have also been controversial, particularly with his decisions to cut federal funding. He recently withdrew $175 million from the University of Pennsylvania over its decision to allow transgender women to participate in women’s sports, and froze $400 million in research funding from Columbia University over allegations that the school was not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.
With legal hurdles and bipartisan opposition, Trump’s executive order is unlikely to be implemented immediately. But even if he fails to dismantle the Department of Education, the Trump administration could continue to tighten its budget and powers, accelerating the trend toward shifting control of education to the states in the coming years.
Ngoc Anh (according to WH, AJ, Fox News)
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