President Donald Trump signed a highly anticipated executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education.
Flanked by school children, lawmakers, parental rights advocates, and Republican governors from across the United States, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Trump signed an order declaring that “the experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars — and the unaccountable bureaucracy those programs and dollars support — has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families.”
“When President Carter created the Federal Education Department in 1979, it was opposed by members of his own cabinet as well as the American Federation of Teachers, the New York Times Editorial Board, and the famed Democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. History has proven them right — absolutely right,” Trump said in a speech before signing the order.
The order instructs the Education Secretary “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
“Consistent with the Department of Education’s authorities, the Secretary of Education shall ensure that the allocation of any Federal Department of Education funds is subject to rigorous compliance with Federal law and Administration policy, including the requirement that any program or activity receiving Federal assistance terminate illegal discrimination obscured under the label ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ or similar terms and programs promoting gender ideology,” the order reads.
Before signing the order, Trump emphasized that student loans, Pell Grants, Title I funding, and resources for children with disabilities and special needs will be “fully preserved” and “redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them.”
“It’s very important to [Education Secretary] Linda [McMahon] I know, and it’s very important to all of us. But beyond these core necessities, my administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department,” he said. “We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It’s doing us no good.”
Trump also took the time to praise educators and said he hopes winding down the federal department will enable better conditions for teachers on the state level.
“Teachers to me are among the most important people in this country, and we’re going to take care of our teachers. And I don’t care if they’re in the union or not in the union — that doesn’t matter,” he said. “But we’re going to take care of our teachers. And I believe, I believe the states will take actually better care of them than they are taking care of [them] right now.”
Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to eliminate the Department of Education and send power back to states, communities, and parents. The department was created under President Jimmy Carter 45 years ago to help states establish thriving school systems, but the Trump administration argues it has not lived up to its intended purpose.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House noted that the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion “with virtually nothing to show for it” since its inception and said spending per pupil has increased more than 245 percent during that period with “virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement.”
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The White House pointed to recent dismal results from the Nation’s Report Card, which found that math and reading scores are at the lowest level in decades, six-in-ten fourth graders and nearly three-quarters of eighth graders are not proficient in math, seven-in-ten fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading, and 40 percent of fourth grade students don’t even meet basic reading levels.
At the same time, standardized test scores have not meaningfully improved in decades, and U.S. students rank 28 out of 37 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member-countries in math.
“Instead of maintaining the status quo that is failing American students, the Trump Administration’s bold plan will return education where it belongs — with individual states, which are best positioned to administer effective programs and services that benefit their own unique populations and needs,” the White House said.
While it takes an act of Congress to officially disband the Department of Education, President Trump has tasked Education Secretary Linda McMahon with winding down the department, joking ahead of her confirmation that he wants her “to put herself out of a job.” Ahead of signing the order, Trump again joked that McMahon “hopefully she will be our last secretary of education.”
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right, and the Democrats know it’s right,” he said at the signing. “And I hope they’re going to be voting for it, because ultimately it may come before them.”
Right after the signing, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a post on X that he will “submit legislation” to accomplish Trump’s goal of shutting down the department “as soon as possible.”
In a statement, McMahon celebrated President Trump’s “history-making action,” saying it will “free future generations of American students and forge opportunities for their success.”
“Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities,” McMahon said. “Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working with Congress and state leaders to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”
“With today’s action, we take a significant step forward to give parents and states control over their children’s education. Teachers will be unshackled from burdensome regulations and paperwork, empowering them to get back to teaching basic subjects,” she added. “Taxpayers will no longer be burdened with tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs. K-12 and college students will be relieved of the drudgery caused by administrative burdens—and positioned to achieve success in a future career they love.”
Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation, the department terminated nearly $1 billion in grants and slashed millions in wasteful spending and DEI projects, eliminated 2,300+ woke webpages and related materials, and launched investigations into states and school districts, and universities accused of racial preference policies and allowing males to play on female sports teams.
Soon after her confirmation, the department announced that it is reducing its workforce by half in an effort to streamline the department and cut down on unnecessary bureaucracy.
Not everyone is happy with Trump’s plan to end the Department of Education, including teachers’ unions and the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the exclusive representative for federal employees at the Department of Education.
“The Department of Education plays a crucial role supporting our students and their families at schools and universities in every community across this nation, and President Trump’s directive to eliminate this small but mighty agency would destroy our education system and devastate future generations of students,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in part.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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