Amid reports the White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, many are asking what that might mean for the U.S. and schools.
Two sources familiar with the plans confirmed the move NBC News, but President Donald Trump cannot unilaterally abolish a federal agency without the approval of Congress.
Here's a look at the department and what could be in store:
What does the Department of Education do?
According to its website, "the mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages."
Among other things, the department advocates for awareness of challenges faced across the country in the education field, while also spearheading "programs that cover every area of education and range from preschool education through postdoctoral research."
One of the department's functions includes underwriting student loans.
Chicago Politics
What has Trump said?
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Trump campaigned on a promise to shut down the Education Department, which he says has been infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.” He said the agency's power should be turned over to states and schools.
Trump said he nominated former wrestling executive Linda McMahon to be his Education Secretary despite his call to eliminate the Education Department because he wants her “to put herself out of a job.”
“I told Linda, ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job.’ I want her to put herself out of a job,’” Trump told reporters.
The president said he’d like to leave the business of running schools to the states. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and scrap diversity programs at all levels of education.
He has called for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
Still, a team from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency showed up at the department’s offices this week. An Education Department spokesperson confirmed a team was on site Monday but did not provide details on the nature of its work. Musk's colleagues have already sought to close the U.S. Agency for International Development and to gain access to sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department.
Dozens of employees at the Education Department were put on paid administrative leave in response to Trump’s order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, according to a labor union that represents hundreds of workers in the agency.
Trump has also proposed taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the “Marxist Maniacs and lunatics” he says control higher education.
Can Trump close the education department?
Unwinding the department would likely require Congress to act.
In the nearly five decades since the agency was created, conservatives have made occasional attempts to shut it down, with critics saying it wastes taxpayer money and inserts the federal government into local education decisions.
Trump is expected to give his education chief a deadline to deliver a plan for the agency’s winddown. Yet even some of his allies question how far he can go without Congress.
Some of the department's most significant programs are required by federal legislation, including Title I money for low-income schools and federal student loans.
That was a source of frustration during Trump’s first term in office, when his education chief repeatedly sought budget cuts but instead saw Congress increase the agency’s spending each year.
What's more, Trump's quest to shut down the department could be complicated by his own agenda. Already, he has created new work for the department, including plans to promote “patriotic” education and efforts to go after schools that teach controversial lessons on race and gender. The agency also has opened new investigations into colleges, after Trump ordered a crackdown on campus antisemitism.
Getting support from Congress would provide another test of Trump’s sway. Some Republicans have raised doubts about the popularity of closing the department or slashing its programs, which support Republican and Democratic states alike.
The House considered amending a bill to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it. Last week Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, again introduced legislation to close the agency. The one-sentence proposal said the Education Department “shall terminate on December 31, 2026.”
Details are expected to be sorted out by Trump’s education chief, and the president didn’t immediately say whether he would look to preserve the department’s core work.
One potential model is found in Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump’s second term created by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The proposal calls for many of the department’s biggest programs to be parceled out to other agencies.
Under the Project 2025 plan, Title I funding, the largest source of federal money to public schools, would be moved to the Department of Health and Human Services and given as block grants to states for them to spend as they please, with no strings attached. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights would shift to the Justice Department.
Trump has sought distance from Project 2025, though he has hired some of the staff behind it, and on some issues there’s considerable overlap with his own platform.
What could it mean for you?
Federal funding makes up a small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14% — but it adds targeted support for low-income schools and special education, among other grant programs.
In Minnesota, Democrats in the state assembly warned about the potential impact of Trump’s order on Tuesday. Sen. Mary Kunesh said she was worried the order could disrupt funding and called for more clarity on the plan.
“Imagine if we have billions of dollars frozen at the federal level," Kunesh said at a press conference. "How are we going to make sure they have the curriculum they have to learn?”
Trump’s plan could complicate the confirmation hearing for McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul and longtime Trump ally. Some advisers had asked the White House to keep the order quiet to avoid thorny questions, and others are pushing for it to be signed after her confirmation. No date has been set yet for her Senate hearing.
Even if the Education Department no longer existed, student loan debt would still be due, Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit that helps borrowers navigate the repayment of their debt, told CNBC.
New and current students who rely on financial aid for college may experience delays, even if the Education Department is only partially shut down, Michele Shepard Zampini, senior director of college affordability at The Institute For College Access and Success, said.
