Trump targets Education Department for shutdown with upcoming executive order

US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on March 20 aimed at closing the Education Department, a move that has sparked significant attention and controversy.

However, White House officials have acknowledged that the closure of the agency would require approval from Congress, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

A White House fact sheet, to be released on March 20, reveals that the executive order will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps" to close the department and "return education authority to the States." This step marks a significant shift in Trump’s ongoing efforts to reduce federal involvement in education. The proposed order has been anticipated for weeks, as Trump had campaigned on promises to shut down the department and reduce its budget.

Since Trump’s administration took office, the Education Department has already reduced its workforce by nearly 50 per cent, mainly through layoffs, and has canceled numerous grants and contracts. During her Senate confirmation hearing, McMahon agreed with Democrats that only Congress, which created the department in 1979, has the authority to close the agency. 

She also suggested transferring some of its functions to other government agencies—an action that experts argue would also require congressional approval. To close the agency or transfer its responsibilities would require 60 votes in the Senate, a target seen as highly unlikely, given the Republicans hold just 53 seats in the chamber. Any attempt to shut down the department or redistribute its duties without congressional backing is expected to face legal challenges. 

Trump has consistently framed his push to reduce the federal role in education as an effort to return control to state and local governments. Education, in fact, has traditionally been managed by state and local authorities, with those governments providing around 90 per cent of funding and setting most policies. The Education Department itself does not dictate curriculum or handle the majority of school-related regulations. White House spokesman Harrison Fields commented that the executive order "will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students." 

The order is expected to cite low test scores as justification for reducing the federal government’s role, though administration officials have not yet explained how cutting the federal role will necessarily improve educational outcomes. The Education Department administers several critical federal programs, including the $18.4 billion Title I program, which funds high-poverty K-12 schools, and the $15.5 billion IDEA program, which supports education for students with disabilities. 

The department also manages the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program and sets requirements for colleges and universities to participate in federal financial aid programs. A senior administration official noted that these major programs, which make up most of the department’s budget, "will NOT be touched." However, it remains unclear how the administration plans to implement significant changes without affecting these programs. McMahon has also said she does not support cuts to Title I or IDEA. 

Additionally, the White House fact sheet accuses the Biden administration of using the Education Department to promote an ideological agenda, including racial equity initiatives and protections against discrimination based on gender identity. The Trump administration has taken a different approach, with policies that limit how schools address race and gender issues. The executive order is also expected to reaffirm the administration’s directive that no programs advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or "gender ideology" should receive funding from the Education Department. USA Today first reported that President Trump plans to sign the order on March 20. 

National Education Association President Becky Pringle condemned the move, arguing that it would negatively impact students across the country. “If successful, Trump’s continued actions will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training programs, making higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protections,” she said.

By Naila Huseynova