President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order Thursday to begin dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling a major campaign promise and long-held conservative goal.
The order, to be signed during a White House ceremony, directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start closing the department and return education authority to individual states.
Trump argues the move will cut costs and improve educational standards, claiming U.S. schools are falling behind those in Europe and China.
The decision aligns with Republican efforts to reduce federal control over education, a point of contention in decades-long culture wars.
Elon Musk, a key advisor in Trump’s ongoing government overhaul, supports the push, with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leading efforts to shrink agencies.
Critics, including educators and Democratic lawmakers, condemned the move, warning it could undermine protections for low-income students and those with special needs.
By law, Congress must approve shutting down the department, but Trump’s strategy mirrors his approach to other agencies — slashing staff and funding to render them ineffective.
McMahon, appointed from her previous role as WWE CEO, signaled the department’s end was near in a memo calling its downsizing the “final mission.”
Some essential programs, including grants for university students and funding for low-income schools, are expected to remain intact.
Legal challenges are likely, with previous attempts to dismantle other agencies, like USAID, already blocked by federal courts.
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