Trump executive order moves to scale down Education Department as admin pushes for school choice expansion

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at significantly reducing the scope of the Department of Education, marking one of the most consequential shifts in federal education policy in decades. 

The directive seeks to transfer much of the federal government’s education authority to individual states while maintaining key programs like Pell Grants and student loans at the federal level.

Ahead of a White House signing ceremony, Trump characterized the order as a move “to begin eliminating the Department of Education once and for all.”

“I want to just make one little personal statement,” Trump also said. “Teachers, to me, are among the most important people in this country — and we’re going to take care of our teachers. …And I believe the states will take actually better care of them than they are taken care of right now.”

“We’re gonna love and cherish our teachers, along with our children,” he added, “and they’re gonna work with the parents and they’re gonna work with everyone else. And it’s gonna be an amazing thing to watch…”

Trump has long criticized the Department of Education, arguing that taxpayer dollars are being misused to “indoctrinate America’s youth,” as Fox News reported Thursday. He emphasized that returning control to states will “stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars” and allow for more effective education policies at the local level.

The executive order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of dismantling the agency and redistributing its programs. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified to reporters Thursday that the department would not be eliminated entirely but instead “greatly minimized.” 

Democratic leaders and teachers’ unions have vowed legal action to thwart the administration’s effort at education reform. 

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