Trump advances plan to close Education Department without Congress

The White House announced on November 18 that the Trump administration has begun taking concrete steps toward dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, advancing the president’s long-promised plan to shift authority over schooling back to the states.

As part of the restructuring, the Education Department will transfer major responsibilities to other federal agencies, as per Reuters.

New partnerships have been launched with the Departments of Labor, Interior, State, and Health and Human Services to oversee programs previously administered by Education.

According to the department, the changes aim to streamline federally mandated education activities, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs to better serve students. Under the new framework, K-12 programs — including those for disadvantaged, at-risk, homeless, and migrant children — will be jointly administered with the Labor Department, which will also distribute federal education formula funding to states.

Educational programs for Native American students will move under the Department of the Interior, while the State Department will take over oversight of international education and language studies. The administration argues that this shift will improve data collection, align education with workforce needs, and support national security priorities. The State Department has already introduced tighter screening for foreign students, a policy linked to a 17% drop in new international enrollments this academic year.

The moves are being enacted without congressional approval, though a formal shutdown of the Education Department would require an act of Congress. Earlier this year, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced plans to eliminate more than 1,300 positions as part of what the administration described as the department’s “final mission.”

The restructuring sparked sharp political reactions. Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, condemned the effort as an attack on public education and a bypass of congressional authority. The American Federation of Teachers warned that scattering responsibilities across multiple agencies would create confusion and barriers for vulnerable students.

Republicans were divided. Some praised the effort as long-overdue downsizing of federal involvement in schools, while others cautioned that altering core functions without congressional oversight could endanger students’ access to essential services.

Created in 1979, the Department of Education has overseen college loans, civil rights enforcement in schools, student achievement monitoring, and federal support for districts serving low-income families and children with disabilities.

By Tamilla Hasanova