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PRESIDENT Donald Trump has triumphantly signed an executive order stating his intentions to dismantle the Department of Education while surrounded by a classroom of kids.
Trump brought a long-time Republican policy goal to fruition after bitter Democrats made a desperate last-ditch plea for him to stop.
Before signing the order, Trump thanked some of his allies in the audience and said he was getting rid of the department, “once and for all.”
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right,” he said as he mentioned declining test scores in the US.
Prominent senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are among politicians who believe such a move would greatly impact borrowers.
Trump’s team have already made sweeping changes to the department, but they are going further.
The president’s set to sign an order today directing Linda McMahon, his Education Secretary, to take the steps to dismantle the organization altogether.
Closing the Department of Education was promised in the 2024 GOP platform titled Make America Great Again.
The order will reportedly encourage McMahon to act “to the maximum extent appropriate,” as reported by NPR.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, are expected to be in the Oval Office when Trump signs the order.
Since Trump returned to the presidency, the government department has undergone a huge shakeup.
This is despite the fact its expenditure only made up 4% of the $6.8 trillion spent by the federal government in 2024.
The Department of Education’s workforce has been trimmed by almost 50% – from around 4,133 staffers to 2,183.
Warren called out the decision to remove the complaint button and has urged McMahon to reverse the job cuts affecting workers responsible for dealing with student loans, according to a letter seen by ABC News.
Almost 300,000 complaints were submitted in 2024.
Warren believes such a move would put borrowers at risk of being taken advantage of by scammers.
“Donald Trump is telling students that if you’re scammed by your student loan servicer or have a problem getting the aid you need to go to college, he doesn’t care,” she told ABC News.
“Secretary McMahon is helping Trump rip opportunities away from kids who just want a good education, and as a result, real people will get hurt.”
Can Trump abolish the Department of Education on his own?
DONALD Trump is to sign an executive order ordering the Department of Education to be abolished. But can he do it on his own?
- Trump’s executive order would not be enough to close down the department.
- He would need an Act of Congress.
- A simple majority vote in the Senate wouldn’t be enough to pass the legislation.
- He would need 60 senators to back the abolition, meaning he would have to count on seven Democrats.
- And, Trump isn’t guaranteed to have the support in the House of Representatives.
- This is despite the fact the Republicans have the majority in the chamber.
Cuts have already been made to the Office for Civil Rights and Institute of Education Sciences.
The organizations collect data on the country’s economic progress, while the OCR enforces civil rights law.
The Department of Government Efficiency taskforce, spearheaded by Elon Musk, terminated more than 160 contracts that were on the books of the Institute for Education Sciences.
Contracts that were axed included programs which track children’s learning – from kindergarten to high school.
Education research groups branded the cuts “counterproductive.”
Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii senator, blasted Musk’s chainsaw-like approach to cutting federal spending.
“We are all here to fight back because this is no time to be sitting back thinking that other people are going to fight the battles for us,” she vowed.
But, Trump is set to run into hurdles because if the Department of Education is to be eliminated altogether, then it would need an act of Congress.
Trump would need 60 senators to back any bill ordering the abolition.
The Republicans have a majority of 53 to 47.
Trump would be reliant on seven Democrats to vote through a bill.
LEGAL CHALLENGES
Trump’s executive order is likely to spark legal challenges.
Josh Cowen, professor of education policy at Michigan State University’s College of Education, described the task of dismantling the organization as “cumbersome.”
“They will all be challenged in court, adding to the flurry of lawsuits against the administration,” he said.
Scores of protesters have taken to the streets demonstrating against the sweeping layoffs.
Campaigners congregated outside the Department of Education building in Washington, with some holding up signs reading: “WWE: We Want Education.”
Linda McMahon is the wife of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
Kim Anderson, the executive director of the National Education Association, claimed Trump is dismantling public education.
“This agenda is about cutting funding and shipping it to private schools, it is about vouchers, make no mistake about it,” she claimed.
Earlier this week, teachers and students campaigned side-by-side in Louisville, Kentucky in opposition to the cuts, as reported by the NBC affiliate WAVE-TV.
Trump’s move to dismantle the Education Department isn’t popular among Americans, per the New York Times.
Surveys claim two-thirds of the public are against the move.
But, the idea has been championed by prominent Republicans.
Thomas Massie, a Kentucky congressman, has urged Congress to support Trump’s move.
Rand Paul revealed Trump could count on his support.
“End the federal Department of Education. Send it back to the states where it belongs. We’re ready,” Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate, said.
