President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, March 20th, to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, aiming to transfer authority to the states. While the department will not be immediately abolished, it will be significantly downsized.
The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to reduce the department’s role while maintaining essential programs such as Title I funding for low-income schools, special education funding, Pell Grants, and student loans. Trump emphasized the move as necessary, stating, “We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right.”
At the White House signing ceremony, attended by Republican governors and state education officials, Trump asked a group of schoolchildren, “Should I do this?” The students nodded in approval before he finalized the order.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that while the department will not be completely dissolved, it will become “much smaller than it is today.” This week, 1,300 department employees received notices of job eliminations, and regional offices in major cities were shut down due to “security concerns.”
The Department of Education, created in 1979, cannot be entirely abolished without congressional approval. Trump acknowledged this hurdle, stating, “The Democrats know it’s right, and I hope they’re going to be voting for it because ultimately it may come before them.”
The administration’s plan follows recommendations from conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which advocates for shifting education oversight to the Department of Health and Human Services and converting federal funds into state-controlled block grants.
While some Republican lawmakers support reducing federal involvement, others warn that eliminating the department could disrupt funding and weaken student protections. Critics argue that shifting education control entirely to states could widen disparities in school quality.
With the executive order in place, the administration is moving forward with one of the most significant education policy changes in decades despite the legal and political challenges ahead.
