US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order Thursday aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling a long-held goal of American conservatives.
The order, which several media outlets on Wednesday reported would be signed during a White House ceremony, comes as efforts are already underway in the department to drastically downsize its staffing and slash funding.
The signing has been in the works for weeks and will be marked by an event at the White House in which several Republican governors, including Mr. Trump’s former rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are expected to attend.
“President Trump’s executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement Wednesday.
But completely eliminating the department would require congressional approval, which isn’t certain.
Dismantling the Department of Education has long been a goal for Republicans, dating back to the Reagan administration.
Hours after Education Secretary Linda McMahon was confirmed by the Senate, she issued a memo with the subject line “Our Department’s Final Mission.” The memo said “this is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students. I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete; we will be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.”
A senior administration official said student loans, Title I, which provides financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will not be changed by the executive order. It’s unclear, however, which federal entity would be responsible for them if the Education Department is dissolved.
Trump’s education secretary, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, issued a memo shortly after her swearing in on March 3 saying the agency would be beginning its “final mission.”
The next week, she moved to halve the department’s staff.
Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments, as desired for decades by many Republicans.
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Traditionally, the federal government has had a limited role in education in the United States, with only about 13 percent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers, the rest being funded by states and local communities.
But federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs. And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students.
The order directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate” the department’s closure, according to a copy seen by Politico, which reported several Republican governors would be attending the ceremony.
Several key programs are to be spared, such as those providing grants to university students and funding for low-income schools across the country, multiple outlets reported.
Such an order has been widely expected after a circulating draft was obtained by media outlets shortly after McMahon took over.
By law, the Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress and Republicans do not have the votes to push that through.
However, as with other federal agencies under Trump’s second administration, the department is likely to see further cuts to programs and employees, which could significantly cripple its work.
Mr. Trump has previously said student loans could be “brought into either Treasury or Small Business Administration or Commerce.”
The moves are being spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose rapid actions have met pushback in courts for possibly exceeding executive authority.
A similar move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development was halted on Monday by a federal judge, who said the push likely violated the Constitution.
McMahon, after she ordered the halving of her staff, told Fox News it was a step toward fulfilling Trump’s demand that she “put herself out of a job.”
“His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished,” she said.
