GUWAHATI: In a major policy move, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling a long-standing conservative goal of returning control of schools to individual states.
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At a special ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Trump, flanked by schoolchildren seated at desks, held up the signed order with a broad smile. "We're shutting it down—quickly and completely. The Department of Education serves no purpose," he declared. "Education belongs to the states, not Washington."
Established in 1979, the federal education agency cannot be formally abolished without congressional approval. However, Trump's directive is expected to significantly reduce its funding and workforce, effectively sidelining it. The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take necessary actions to wind down the department and transfer its responsibilities to state governments.
This move aligns with Trump’s broader effort to overhaul the federal government, a process in which he has been assisted by tech mogul Elon Musk. Critics, particularly Democrats and educators, have strongly opposed the initiative. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer denounced it as an “authoritarian power grab” and one of Trump’s most harmful policy decisions.
Republican governors, including Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott, were present at the signing event, showing their support for the measure. Trump framed the move as a cost-saving initiative aimed at improving American education, which he argued was falling behind global standards.
Education has long been a focal point in U.S. political battles, with conservatives advocating for state-level control rather than federal oversight. Trump’s choice of Linda McMahon, the former WWE CEO, as education secretary signalled early on that the agency’s future was in jeopardy. At the event, he remarked that McMahon might be "the last secretary of education."
Since taking office, McMahon has already slashed the department’s workforce in half. Speaking to reporters, she emphasised Trump’s intent to redirect federal education funds to states without bureaucratic interference.
While Trump pledged during his campaign to dissolve the Department of Education—similar to the decentralisation of abortion laws—some federal oversight is expected to remain. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that a smaller-scale department would continue handling essential functions, such as student loans and financial aid for low-income students.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank instrumental in shaping Trump’s policies, welcomed the decision, calling it "a beautiful day to dismantle the Department of Education" in a post on X.
Historically, the federal government has played a limited role in education, contributing around 13% of funding for public schools, with state and local governments covering the rest. However, federal funds remain critical for disadvantaged schools and students with special needs, and federal agencies have played a key role in enforcing civil rights protections in education.
Trump, along with Musk and the newly established Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), has already disbanded multiple federal agencies by severely cutting budgets and staff. However, a recent attempt to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development was blocked by a federal judge, who ruled that the move likely violated constitutional provisions.