President Trump Dismantles Education Department with New Executive Order

In a sweeping executive order signed Thursday, President Donald Trump has initiated a historic rollback of federal oversight in education, taking a major step toward dismantling the Department of Education. The move aligns with his longstanding campaign promise to return control of education to states, parents, and local communities.

Trump’s Vision: “Education Belongs to Families”

Standing before a packed White House briefing room, Trump declared, “This is a big win for parents, students, and teachers who believe in American values, not government indoctrination. The federal government has no business running our schools.”

The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of significantly scaling down the agency, shifting its responsibilities to state governments. While the department will retain a skeletal framework to administer Pell Grants and student loans, its broader regulatory powers will be curtailed.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed, “This does not mean the immediate closure of the Department of Education, but it does mean an end to Washington bureaucrats dictating education policy.”

A Long-Awaited Promise to Cut Federal Ties

Trump’s critics have long resisted his call to eliminate the Education Department, citing concerns over funding gaps and student protections. But the president insists that the federal agency has done more harm than good, arguing that local and state authorities are better suited to make decisions affecting their students.

At a rally in South Carolina earlier this year, Trump declared, “Every dollar wasted on DC red tape is a dollar stolen from our children’s future.” His push gained further momentum following a 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress report, which showed that reading scores among U.S. students had declined by two points, while math scores remained stagnant.

Republican Leaders Rally Behind the Move

GOP lawmakers are backing Trump’s plan, with some advocating for full legislative action to abolish the department entirely. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced plans to introduce a bill to support the executive order, stating, “The Department of Education has failed. It has overreached, underperformed, and wasted taxpayer dollars for decades.”

Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a longtime advocate for eliminating the agency, proposed using the budget reconciliation process to pass the measure with a simple majority, bypassing the typical 60-vote requirement in the Senate. “We have the votes to make this happen,” Massie said.

Opposition and Legal Challenges Ahead

Democratic leaders and teachers’ unions have vowed to challenge Trump’s order in court. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, warned that the move would “gut funding for public education, expand class sizes, and leave students with disabilities behind.”

Additionally, a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit on March 13, arguing that the executive order violates the separation of powers. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell called it “a reckless and unlawful overreach that will have devastating consequences for students.”

What Comes Next?

While Trump’s order signals a major shift, full dissolution of the department still requires congressional approval. With Republicans holding 53 Senate seats—short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster—the administration may have to compromise or rely on legislative maneuvers to push the plan forward.

In the meantime, Trump remains undeterred. “This is just the beginning,” he told supporters in Florida. “We’re going to bring education back to the states and make America’s schools great again.”

As the battle over education reform escalates, one thing is certain: Trump’s executive order has reignited the national debate on who should control America’s classrooms.