Trump drafts order calling for close of Department of Education

NPR reported Wednesday that it had obtained a draft copy of an order being prepared by the White House directing newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” The memo reportedly refers to the Department of Education as an “experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars” that has “failed our children.”  The agency has received over $1 trillion since its creation with little results, according to Trump.

McMahon, a long-time executive of World Wrestling Entertainment and Trump associate, served as head of the Small Business Administration in the first Trump term. She was tapped to be education secretary earlier in 2025 and was confirmed by the Senate on Monday. Later that day, she reportedly sent a memo to staff of the Department of Education urging them to support the dismantling of the agency for which they work. She reportedly described the dismantling of the agency as the “final mission” for the department.

Despite potential impact, Trump pushes agenda to dismantle federal programs

According to an article by the National Education Association, eliminating the Department of Education could negatively impact millions of students by raising costs of education, endangering programs for students with disabilities and cutting civil rights protections. Nevertheless, as Blavity previously reported, Republicans have long targeted the Department of Education, with Trump promising during the 2024 campaign to eliminate the agency altogether. Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk also supports such a move. Trump has previously taken moves against the Department of Education as part of his larger agenda of cutting back federal programs, such as suspending the department’s diversity, equity and inclusion staff.

Legally, eliminating the department altogether would exceed Trump’s authority, as the Department of Education was created by Congress in 1979 and can only be abolished with Congressional authorization. But Trump has already used his executive power to practically eliminate entire federal agencies like USAID and to severely cut funding across government programs. Recently, the Supreme Court pumped the brakes on one of Trump’s moves, ordering the president to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money that he froze as part of his pause on federal aid.

Despite pushback from the courts and the need for congressional approval, Trump and his loyal subordinates seem ready to do as much as they can get away with to scale back or eliminate the Department of Education and other agencies as well. Doing so would fulfill a campaign promise but negatively impact students across the country in the process.