US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education. The order stated that his administration is returning education authority to the states.
“Beyond the core necessities, my administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department,” Trump said during a speech at the White House on Thursday. “We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible.”
Trump has long criticized the Education Department, citing low proficiency in reading and math among US students. He argued that the department is “doing us no good” despite heavy federal investment in education. The president claims that returning control to the states will lead to better educational outcomes and reduce government overreach.
The executive order instructs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States and local communities.” The White House added that the move would allow families to “escape a system that is failing them.”
Trump also accused the department of being a hub for individuals with left-wing ideologies, describing it as a place filled with “radicals, zealots, and Marxists.” He believes these officials have used excessive regulations to expand their power, further justifying the need for decentralization.
While the President has emphasized that key functions such as Pell Grants, Title I, and funding for students with disabilities will be preserved, these responsibilities will be redistributed to other agencies. Pell Grants help low-income students pay for college, while Title I funds schools with high percentages of disadvantaged students.
The White House noted that public school mathematics and reading scores have declined, even though per-pupil spending has increased by more than 245% since the 1970s. Officials argue that the taxpayer money should no longer fund “progressive social experiments and obsolete programs.”
The dismantling of federal agencies typically requires Congressional approval. It remains unclear how Trump will proceed with this order, as Congress would need to pass legislation to fully dissolve the department.
The Education Department had around 4,200 employees as of last September, but a recent large-scale layoff has cut nearly half of its workforce. Trump confirmed the reduction, stating, “We’ve cut the number of bureaucrats in half, 50 percent.”
The executive order is part of a broader effort to eliminate wasteful spending and bureaucracy, led by Elon Musk’s newly established ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE). The White House has assured that while the Education Department will be significantly reduced, student loans and federal Pell Grants will continue to be administered.
The move has sparked intense debate, with MAGA supporters praising it as a necessary step to reduce federal intervention and critics arguing that it undermines the nation’s education system. The future of the department now depends on how Congress reacts to the order.
