Trump took a major step toward his long-promised education reform, signing an executive order on Thursday, aimed at dismantling the Department of Education and shifting control back to the states. The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to shrink the department, though it stops short of fully eliminating it—something that would require Congressional approval.
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“This is a historic action that was 45 years in the making,” Trump said during the signing ceremony at the White House, where he was joined by schoolchildren and Republican state governors. “We are beginning the process of eliminating the federal Department of Education.”
The order calls for a significant reduction of the department’s staff and responsibilities while ensuring the “uninterrupted delivery” of critical programs. However, student loans, Pell Grants, and funding for special education programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will still be administered by the department.
Last week, the agency laid off nearly half its employees through a combination of resignations, buyouts, and reductions in force. Trump has pledged further cuts in the coming months.
The move has sparked strong opposition from Democrats and education advocates, who argue that eliminating the department would harm public education and disproportionately affect low-income students, students of color, and children with disabilities.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the order a “malignant Republican scheme,” vowing to block it in Congress and the courts. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, warned that dismantling the department would “exacerbate existing disparities” and leave students without federal protections.
Meanwhile, education advocacy groups like the National Parents Union condemned the order as an unconstitutional overreach, calling it an “assault on our kids’ future.”
Republicans and school choice advocates praised the move, arguing that the Department of Education has become a bloated bureaucracy that has failed to improve student outcomes.
“Bottom line, the Department of Education has failed to deliver results for America’s students,” said House Education Committee Chairman Tim Walberg. Trump’s executive order, he added, will help put students first by removing federal control over education.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the decision, stating that it was about “empowering families” and ensuring that American students are not “stuck in failing schools.”
While the executive order drastically reduces the department’s size and power, Congress must pass legislation to fully dismantle the agency. With Democratic opposition in the Senate, the fate of the department remains uncertain.
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