Trump Plans to Shut Down the US Department of Education

Former President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order on Thursday to dismantle the US Department of Education, according to a White House official.

The move aligns with his long-standing position that the department is an unnecessary bureaucracy burdened with liberal ideology. However, a complete shutdown would require congressional approval, as the department was established by Congress in 1979.

The executive order will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of closing the department while ensuring that essential educational services, programs, and benefits continue without disruption.

The administration has already taken steps to downsize the department by reducing its workforce, eliminating certain programs, and cutting funding for offices such as the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which monitors academic progress nationwide.

The Department of Education currently oversees billions of dollars in funding for schools across the country and manages federal student loans worth about $1.6 trillion.

If the plan moves forward, education policy and funding decisions would be shifted back to individual states, significantly altering the federal government’s role in public education.