President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that formalizes his directive for Education Secretary Linda McMahon to work to “begin eliminating” the Department of Education, taking a major step toward completing one of his most ambitious and controversial campaign promises.
“We are going to shut it down, and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said in the East Room of the White House flanked by children in school desks.
The president spoke to a crowd of parents, administration officials and Republican governors, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Earlier Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that certain functions, like the administration of Pell Grants, would remain within the Department of Education in Washington.
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“Any critical functions of the department will remain, but again, we’re greatly reducing the size and the scale of this department,” she said.
But during his announcement Trump said the intention of his order is to ultimately move those programs to other agencies.
“Pell Grants, Title I funding, resources for children with disabilities and special needs will be preserved. Fully preserved,” Trump said. “They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them.”
Trump vowed during his campaign to “send education back to the states.” In doing so, critics warn he could hinder distribution of important funds and other services to the nation’s roughly 100,000 public K-12 schools, charter schools, community colleges, and universities.
It’s ultimately up to Congress to fully close a federal agency. The president hinted at the possibility that it would come before the body, saying “everybody knows it’s right.”
“The Democrats know it’s right and I hope they vote for it,” Trump said.
But the Trump administration has already taken steps to significantly reduce the department’s footprint.
The Department of Education initiated a reduction in force last week, moving to cut 1,315 workers. When complete, the Department of Education’s staff will be half the size it was at the beginning of the current Trump administration. The American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, the union representing Education Department employees, has said they will fight the administration’s actions.
“The Administration clearly has no respect for the thousands of people who have dedicated their careers to serving this country,” Sheria Smith, President of AFGELocal 252, said in a statement.
“Now Americans throughout the country will bear the brunt of this reckless order. Americans will no longer adequately and efficiently receive the services they rely on, from the ability to investigate civil rights complaints to accessing financial student aid, and so much more. It also cannot be understated that it seems this administration is hell-bent on eliminating the much-needed accountability and oversight the Department of Education provides. So we cannot back down from this fight.”
A coalition of Democratic attorneys general sued the Department of Education last week over the RIF, arguing that it effectively dismantled the agency.
Despite being the smallest of the cabinet-level agencies, employing roughly 4,000 people before Trump’s second term, it is one of the most far-reaching.
The department administers the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and disburses student loan funds and money for the Pell Grant program. It also ensures compliance with federal equality laws through its Office of Civil Rights, and is the nation’s hub for education-related research, through the Institutes for Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics, both of which the Department of Government Efficiency has already gutted.
Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference, issued a memo ahead of the order detailing Republicans’ talking points around Trump’s push. It instructs members to convey the message that House Republicans will work with Trump to “improve education in America,” and that the Department of Education has been “pushing woke policies for far too long.”
“We need to fund students, not failing systems,” a messaging flyer from the Education and Workforce Committee reads. “This executive order forces us to take a serious look at how we can improve education in America.”
Democrats are already pledging to fight efforts to shutter the department.
“Abolishing a federal agency requires an Act of Congress. President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education and ‘return education to the states’ will be challenged in the Courts,” Education and Workforce Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott said. “President Trump’s executive order has little regard for the irreparable harm it will cause to students, educators, our future workforce, and parents, who are already struggling. Moreover, this move will force more dedicated civil servants with invaluable institutional knowledge out of the federal government.”
During her confirmation hearing, McMahon said that federal dollars would continue to flow to states for programs like Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Act. She also acknowledged that only Congress has the power to close the agency because it was established through an act of Congress.
“The reality of our education system is stark, and the American people have elected President Trump to make significant changes in Washington,” McMahon wrote in a letter to Education Department employees the night of her confirmation on March 3. “Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly.”
The Trump administration has been fine-tuning plans for an executive order that guts the Department of Education since at least early February. An executive order was expected to be signed on March 6, but the White House held off. The president later said the administration was working out the details, particularly about what would become of the student loans under the reformed agency.
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Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow. Jasmine Wright, a reporter at NOTUS, contributed to this report.
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