Trump’s Draft Executive Order Seeks to Abolish Department of Education
Trump’s latest executive order targets the Department of Education for dismantling – but there’s a catch. The plan aims to shut down non-mandated functions, slash staff, and scatter operations across other departments. One small problem: Congress created the department, and only Congress can close it. The $80 billion agency processes millions of student aid applications and oversees critical programs. Legal experts are already sharpening their pencils for the inevitable court battles ahead.
While presidents typically aim to expand their power, Donald Trump’s latest draft executive order takes things to a new level – attempting to fundamentally dismantle the Department of Education through executive action alone.
The ambitious plan would shut down non-statutorily mandated functions, rapidly reduce staff, and move certain operations to other departments. Because that’s apparently how things work now. The agency currently manages an $80 billion budget along with thousands of employees. Staff morale continues to plummet as uncertainty grows. The administration’s recent DEI funding cuts have already eliminated millions in training contracts.
Except it’s not. Legal experts are already pointing out the obvious – the Department of Education was created by Congress, and it’ll take an act of Congress to close it. Local school boards already control curriculum and graduation requirements. Many of the department’s programs are explicitly required by law to be administered there. But hey, details.
The executive order targets major offices including Elementary and Secondary Education, Special Education Services, Civil Rights, and Federal Student Aid. The department processes 17 million aid applications annually through its Federal Student Aid program. There’s talk of shuffling civil rights enforcement over to the Justice Department, because nothing says efficiency like bureaucratic musical chairs.
The potential impact is massive. Title I funding for high-poverty schools? At risk. Special education funding through IDEA? Threatened. Pell Grants for college students? Up in the air. The order could throw the entire public education system into chaos, affecting millions of students and teachers.
The move aligns with Trump’s campaign promises and the conservative Project 2025 policy blueprint. Some Republican officials love the idea, viewing the department as bloated bureaucracy. But getting Congress to actually abolish it? Good luck with that.
Opposition has been swift and fierce. The American Federation of Teachers is fighting back hard. Democrats in Congress are outraged. Critics argue it’s a direct attack on public education, with disadvantaged students likely to suffer the most.
Alternative approaches being floated include moving student loans to the Treasury Department and converting special education funding into state block grants. Some suggest phasing out Title I funding altogether. Because apparently, the solution to improving education is… less education funding?
The draft order faces serious constitutional hurdles and will likely trigger immediate court challenges. It’s a bold attempt at executive branch overreach that legal experts say won’t fly.
But it’s already succeeding at one thing – creating massive uncertainty in America’s education system.
In the end, this executive order might be more about making a political statement than achieving actual policy change. But for the millions of students, teachers, and families who depend on Department of Education programs, it’s no laughing matter.
