Explained: Why does Trump want to shut down US education department?

Trump wants to shut down the US Education Department. Find out why he's targeting it, what's at stake, and what this means for schools, students, and states

President Donald Trump is making headlines again, this time over his plan to shut down the US Department of Education. On Thursday, Trump is expected to sign a highly anticipated executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps” to close the department and return control of education to the states, according to a White House fact sheet.

 

While the move has sparked intense debate, it’s important to note that the Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be closed without congressional approval. Experts say Trump’s order is unlikely to lead to real action — shutting down the department would need 60 votes in the Senate, but Republicans only have 53 seats right now.

 

 

Trump’s long-standing promise 

Trump has long promised to eliminate the department, calling it part of a bloated federal bureaucracy. “And one other thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education,” he said in September 2023.

 

On February 4, 2025, Trump reiterated his goal, saying of McMahon, “I want Linda to put herself out of a job.”

 

What’s really driving the move? 

Why would a president want to shut down an agency that oversees $268 billion in federal funding and handles key programs like student loans and special education? The answer lies in four major themes that have become central to Trump’s political agenda:  ALSO READ | In Donald Trump's America, federal judges now fear for their safety

 

1. Fighting ‘wokeness’ in schools

 

Trump and his supporters argue that public education is being overtaken by a “radical woke agenda,” including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and policies supporting transgender students. They point to the Biden administration’s expansion of Title IX protections to include gender identity as evidence of federal overreach, reported The Conversation.

 

Trump has vowed to end what he calls “critical race theory and transgender insanity” in schools. His executive order will reportedly ban any Education Department funding for DEI or “gender ideology” programs.

 

White House spokesman Harrison Fields said the order “will empower parents, states and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students.” But critics say the plan could do just the opposite.

 

2. Claims of Marxist indoctrination

 

Some Trump supporters go further, claiming public education is part of a larger Marxist plot to indoctrinate students. Trump has issued orders aimed at combating what he calls “Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools” and “campus anti-Semitism”.

 

These moves mirror the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a policy blueprint for a future Trump administration that details steps to dismantle the Education Department.

 

3. School choice and parental rights

 

Trump’s focus on ‘parental rights’ is another key reason for the push. His administration supports school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts, allowing parents to use public funds for private or religious schools, or home-schooling. Critics argue this would weaken public schools by diverting resources away from them.  ALSO READ | Trump administration detains Indian student over Hamas support in crackdown

 

On January 29, Trump signed an order promoting “Educational Freedom and Educational Opportunity for Families,” encouraging alternatives to traditional public education.

 

4. Cutting red tape and shrinking government

 

To Trump and his MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, the Education Department stands for too much government control and waste. Project 2025 claims the department has become a “one-stop shop for the woke education cartel” and recommends shifting its responsibilities to other agencies or states.

 

Trump has also created a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, to tackle what he calls government ‘bloat’. Musk, on February 4, said Trump “will succeed” in shutting down the Education Department.

 

Despite the bold promises, Trump faces serious legal hurdles. Closing the department without congressional approval would likely face immediate lawsuits. Even his attempts to cut programs like DEI funding are already under legal challenge, such as a lawsuit filed on February 3. 

And while a bill to close the department was introduced by Republican Senator Mike Rounds in late 2024, passing it remains a long shot.  ALSO READ | As Trump goes after universities, students now on the chopping block

 

Are the programs at risk? 

The Education Department currently oversees vital programs like Title I ($18.4 billion for low-income schools), IDEA ($15.5 billion for special education), and the federal student loan system ($1.6 trillion in loans). While a senior administration official said these programs “will NOT be touched,” it’s unclear how the department could be shut down without disrupting them.

 

National Education Association President Becky Pringle warned that Trump’s actions “will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training programs, making higher education more expensive, taking away special education services, and gutting student civil rights protections.”