Trump Dismantles the Department of Education
A demonstration at the Department of Education, Washington DC, March 14, 2025. X/ @CBS4Local
March 20, 2025 Hour: 12:26 pm
Secretary McMahon announced that half of her department’s staff would be placed on administrative leave starting March 21.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, thus fulfilling one of his campaign promises.
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He will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take “all necessary measures” to facilitate the department’s closure and return “educational authority to the states.”
The signing ceremony will take place at the White House and is expected to be attended by state education commissioners and several Republican governors, including Ron DeSantis (Florida) and Glenn Youngkin (Virginia).
While the Department of Education cannot be closed without congressional approval, the Trump administration has taken a series of actions to weaken it.
McMahon announced that half of the department’s staff would be placed on administrative leave starting March 21. When Trump took office in January, the department had 4,133 employees; after this decision, the number will be reduced to 2,183.
The U.S. president has suggested that he may secure enough congressional support to formally close the department, but it remains unclear whether Trump has gained the backing of any Democratic lawmakers.
According to NBC, Trump’s executive order will instruct McMahon to ensure that the department’s resources are not used for initiatives or projects promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or activities related to gender ideology.
Republicans were highly critical of the Department of Education under Democratic President Joe Biden (2021-2025), particularly regarding decisions to forgive student loans and extend protections against sex discrimination in education to LGBTQ+ individuals.
The Department of Education is responsible for distributing federal funds to states for underprivileged students. Its closure was one of Trump’s campaign promises as part of his plan to reduce the size of the federal government.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
