Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education: Challenges and Implications “`
President Trump is reportedly preparing an Executive Order aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, a campaign pledge reflecting his goal of federal government downsizing. While testing the boundaries of his presidential power, experts deem abolishing the agency challenging, yet feasible.
“The Department of Education can’t simply be eliminated,” explains Jonathan E. Collins, a political science and education professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. “Legally, Congress, not the President, must initiate this action.”
Congress established the Department of Education; only Congress can dissolve it. The reported Executive Order would restrict the Department from undertaking functions lacking explicit statutory authorization. Sources indicate officials are exploring transferring certain agency functions to other departments. The Executive Order reportedly urges Congressional approval for dismantling the Education Department.
The White House didn’t respond to TIME’s request for comment.
The Education Department largely administers federally funded programs, including Pell Grants and federal work-study programs (providing financial aid to higher education students) and Title I (assisting low-income student school districts). These are all Congressionally appropriated.
Given Congress’s authority, Collins suggests Trump’s Executive Order might not fully abolish the Department but instead curtail its responsibilities. Experts point out that many Department of Education programs enjoy bipartisan support (e.g., grants for special education). Lawmakers are invested in preventing funding losses for local schools and universities. The Trump Administration would need to reallocate the funds the Department manages. “These funded programs can’t just vanish,” states Josh Cowen, an education policy professor at Michigan State University and author of The Privateers, How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers. “A clear plan for fund allocation and receiving agencies is necessary.”
The Project 2025 playbook, a Heritage Foundation policy plan that Trump publicly distanced himself from during his campaign, outlines plans for dismantling the Department. This plan proposes transferring portions of Title I to the Department of Health and Human Services and relocating the Office of Federal Student Aid to “a new government corporation with professional governance and management.”
“This is about testing and expanding presidential power,” says Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. “The courts will significantly determine whether this undermines the Constitution’s separation of powers.”
Some lawmakers might support Trump. In January, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bill to terminate the Department of Education, garnering 30 Republican co-sponsors. Experts attribute conservative support for abolishment to the belief that parents, not the federal government, should primarily determine education. Even if the House passes such a bill, the GOP would need bipartisan Senate support beyond its 53-member majority to reach the 60-vote threshold for passage.
“Unelected Washington, D.C. bureaucrats shouldn’t control our children’s intellectual and moral development,” Massie stated in a January press release. “States and localities best shape curricula meeting student needs. Schools should be accountable. Parents have the right to choose the best educational opportunity for their children – homeschool, public school, or private school.”
However, the Education Department doesn’t dictate school curricula, nor is it the primary funder of public schools. Federal contributions for elementary and secondary education are minimal, supplemented by funding from agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture (school lunches and Head Start). States rely heavily on local taxes for school district budgets, and local officials overwhelmingly determine curricula.
On Thursday, five Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Tammy Baldwin, sent a letter to the acting Secretary of Education expressing concerns about Trump’s potential plan to weaken the department. “We won’t allow the impact of dismantling the Department of Education on the nation’s students, parents, borrowers, educators, and communities. Congress created the Department to ensure all students have equal access to quality education and civil rights protection regardless of location,” the letter states. “We urge you to provide information on steps the Department is taking to maintain program continuity, effective program administration without waste, fraud, or abuse, and safeguards protecting student data privacy.”
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