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Do you think the US Education Department should be shut down?
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
This move aligns with his administration's broader strategy to decrease the federal government's size and return control of education policy to the states.
The proposed executive order would maintain only those functions required by statute within the department, while other programs would be transferred to different agencies. An agency can't be abolished without Congressional approval.
This reflects Trump's campaign promises to eliminate the federal Department of Education and return control of education policy to the states.
"We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Feb. 4, "and we're ranked at the bottom of the list. We're ranked very badly. And what I want to do is let the states run schools."
Linda McMahon, the nominee for secretary of education, has been tasked with leading the effort to dismantle the department, Trump said, noting he told her his intentions before offering her the position.
Nevertheless, there are doubts about how much can be done without congressional support, as many critical programs, including Title I funding for low-income schools and federal student loans, are protected by federal legislation. For more on what the Education Department does, and doesn't, do, check this report from NPR.
The Trump Administration acknowledges that collaboration with Congress and the teachers' unions will be crucial to achieve its goal.
The Department of Education was created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter.
The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, has expressed her willingness to engage in dialogue with the administration regarding the potential impact of this measure on public education.
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