President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin gutting the Department of Education on Thursday, fulfilling a campaign promise to the GOP to roll back federal oversight of the public education system.
The order is Trump’s most significant action in dismantling the Education Department. Still, it faces legal hurdles, as Congress is the only legislative body that can end the department.
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Yet Trump’s actions could help effectively strip the department of enough power to render it ineffectual.
“We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said at a White House ceremony to many GOP governors. “It’s doing us no good.”
Before Thursday, Trump attempted to tighten the Education Department’s reins by slashing its workforce from roughly 4,200 to 2,100 via layoffs and deferred resignations. The department’s functions could be absorbed into existing agencies, such as the Treasury Department taking on federal student loan management.
The department recently opened investigations into 45 colleges over their alleged refusal to end racial preferences in Ph.D. programming.
McMahon warned 60 colleges and universities to stop antisemitism on campus or risk possible enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.
The Trump administration paused $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, including Department of Education funds, over the Ivy League school’s alleged failure to protect Jewish students.
The Department of Education services millions of low-income, rural, disabled, and non-native English speakers. It also disperses financial aid to at least 87 million students and parents seeking post-secondary education.
However, the White House pointed to abysmal results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress as one reason the funding invested in the Education Department, roughly $80 billion annually in discretionary funds, should be clawed back.
Reading scores among fourth graders were at a low not seen since 2000, and eighth-grade reading scores continued a downward slide, with scores lower than those of at least 1992.
U.S. students ranked 28th out of 37 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries in math, according to Pew Research. The U.S. average score for math fell by 13 percentage points between 2018 and 2022.
“After 45 years, the United States spends more money on education by far than any other country, and spends, likewise, by far, more money per pupil than any country,” Trump said Thursday afternoon. “And it’s not even close, but yet we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success. It’s an amazing stat. Those are two stats you don’t want; The most money spent per pupil, and you’re at the bottom of the list. And that’s where we are, like it or not, and we’ve been there for a long time.”
The president was joined by several prominent Republican governors including Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Mike DeWine (R-OH).
Supporters of the order praised Trump for boosting education freedom. Republicans have long wanted to gut the department, with the parental rights movement gaining momentum during the COVID-19 school lockdowns.
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“Trump’s order to dismantle the Education Department and return tax dollars and decisions to families where they belong will boost education freedom and learning outcomes,” said Elaine Parker, president of Job Creators Network Foundation, in a statement.
Reps. Mary Miller (R-IL) and Mark Harris (R-NC) said it’s “past time to admit that the Education Department has produced a terrible return on America’s investment,” including low tests for U.S. school children.
“President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are absolutely right to dismantle the Education Department as we know it, and every parent, student, and teacher in this country should welcome it,” the lawmakers said in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner.
However, Trump’s critics immediately criticized the order as an attack against the nation’s children.
“See you in court,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement.
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“This is not about cutting bureaucracy — it’s about gutting the protections that safeguard our children’s education,” said Keri Rodrigues Langan, president of the National Parents Union, in a statement. “Without federal oversight, states will have free rein to lower standards, siphon funds from public schools, and dismantle hard-won civil rights protections. The result? A generation of students left unprepared for college, careers, and life.”
“Let’s call this what it is: An assault on our kids’ future and playing chicken with a constitutional crisis with the willful disregard of Congressional authority,” Langan added. “This isn’t fixing education. It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a fight.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the order “unconstitutional” in a social media post.
“But to Donald Trump, the rule of law doesn’t seem to matter,” he added.