Breaking: Trump Vows to End US Education Department in Controversial Executive Order
President Trump signs a revolutionary executive order abolishing the US Department of Education, returning authority to states. The action inspires national controversy and intense opposition.
Washington, D.C., March 21, 2025 — In a dramatic and extremely contentious gesture, President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to abolish the US Department of Education, keeping a long-standing promise of the American conservative movement.
The order was unveiled during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, where Trump, flanked by schoolchildren seated at desks, held up the signed document with a smile. “We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump declared. “It’s doing us no good. We’re going to return education back to the states where it belongs.”
Decades-Long Conservative Goal
The Department of Education, created in 1979, has been a long-time target of right-wing politicians and activists who believe that education policy must be controlled at the state level without federal intervention.
Although the department cannot be abolished outright without Congressional action, Trump‘s order grants power to newly installed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process by cutting staff, freezing programs, and sending federal funds back to state governments.
Trump characterized the action as an important step in his larger initiative to cut back federal bureaucracy and decentralize authority to the states, mirroring similar actions regarding abortion rights and healthcare.
Resolute Democratic and Educator Resistance
Democrats and education activists reacted quickly to decry the decision. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “tyrannical power grab“ and “one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.”
Critics say shutting it down would cripple low-income schools, gut special education programs, and erode civil rights protections for students. Federal money now accounts for about 13% of public school budgets, a lifeline for poor communities.
Musk’s Role and the Government Overhaul
Trump‘s extreme government overhaul has been influenced in part by billionaire businessman Elon Musk, whose Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) has played a key role in breaking up numerous federal agencies.
The Heritage Foundation, whose Project 2025 has had a significant impact on Trump’s policy agenda, welcomed the move, tweeting on X: “It‘s a beautiful day to dismantle the Department of Education.”
What Happens Next
Although Trump promised to make McMahon the last Secretary of Education, the White House said that a small, residual form of the department could remain to manage important programs, including federal student loans and grants.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement: “President Trump wants to get those dollars back to the states without the Washington bureaucracy.”
Whether the department’s shutdown goes according to plan remains to be seen. Court fights are already expected, particularly after a recent federal judge halted the administration‘s effort to dismantle the US Agency for International Development due to constitutional reasons.
A Decisive Moment in US Education Policy
As Trump goes about reshaping the federal government in ways previously unthinkable, wiping out the Department of Education would be one of his most far-reaching and controversial actions.
The next few months will tell whether Congress, the courts, and state officials will let this brazen move go forward — or raise substantial barriers to prevent it.
