According to a White House official, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that will shut down the US Education Department, reports Breaking News.
Prior to an announcement that would follow through on a campaign pledge to abolish an agency that conservatives have long targeted, the official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Although Mr. Trump has criticised the Department of Education for being costly and tainted by liberal ideology, it is probably difficult to completely dismantle it without a congressional act, given the department was established in 1979, reports Breaking News.
In order to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, Secretary Linda McMahon will be instructed “to take all necessary steps to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” according to a White House fact sheet.
The agency has already been completely dismantled by the Trump administration. The Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which compiles statistics on the country’s academic development, have seen severe cuts, and its employment has been cut in half, reports Breaking News.
Eliminating the agency, according to public school advocates, would leave kids behind in the essentially uneven American educational system.
“This isn’t fixing education. It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a fight,” the National Parents Union said in a statement, reports Breaking News.
The White House has not made it clear in writing which departmental duties might be transferred to other departments or removed completely. Mrs. McMahon stated at her confirmation hearing that she will maintain key programs, including as Pell grants for low-income college students and Title I funding for low-income schools. She stated that “a better functioning Department of Education” will be the administration’s objective.
The department manages 1.6 trillion (£1.23 trillion) in federal student loans and distributes billions of dollars annually to institutions, reports Breaking News.
There are concerns about the agency’s political popularity, and even some of Mr. Trump’s supporters have questioned his authority to shut it down without congressional approval. An amendment to dissolve the agency was discussed by the House in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in defeating it.
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attempted to drastically cut the agency’s budget during Mr. Trump’s first term and urged Congress to combine all K–12 funding into block grants, which provide states greater discretion over how they use federal funds. Despite opposition from several Republicans, it was rejected, reports Breaking News.
A significant part of the agency’s work is financial management, which includes managing its substantial student loan portfolio and a range of support initiatives for educational institutions and school districts, including school meals and aid for homeless students.
The organisation also plays a significant role in overseeing the implementation of human rights, reports Breaking News.
The federal government only provides around 14% of the funding for public school budgets. The money is often used to assist other programs for children who are at risk, including the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools.
Washington offers additional federal financial aid to schools and universities to assist students with research grants and tuition, reports Breaking News.
For decades, Republicans have advocated for the closure of the Education Department, arguing that it wastes taxpayer dollars and interferes with state and school-level decision-making. As conservative parent organisations call for greater control over their children’s education, the concept has grown in favour recently.
The department will be shut down, Mr. Trump pledged, “and sent back to the states, where it belongs.” Through direction and regulation, he has portrayed the agency as a haven for “radicals, zealots, and Marxists” who overreach, reports Breaking News.
In order to advance certain aspects of his program, the president has simultaneously relied on the Education Department.
He has used the Office for Civil Rights’ investigative power and threatened to withdraw federal education funding from colleges and institutions that do not follow his regulations on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, pro-Palestinian advocacy, and diversity initiatives, reports Breaking News.
The agency’s political standing is in doubt, and even some of Mr. Trump’s followers have questioned his right to close it down without the consent of Congress. In 2023, the House considered an amendment to eliminate the agency, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in blocking it.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos pushed Congress to consolidate all K–12 financing into block grants, which give states more control over how they spend federal cash, and tried to substantially reduce the agency’s budget, reports Breaking News.
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