President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to sign an executive order that would initiate the dismantling of the Department of Education.
After multiple reports that Trump could sign the order as soon as Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied those claims, calling it “fake news.” There was concern among officials about the possible criticism the administration may face because of the order — including questions over how it would affect the school lunch program and other critical initiatives — and some felt there wasn’t sufficient messaging in place, according to ABC News.
A draft of the executive order, which directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start breaking up the department, was obtained by multiple media outlets. It comes as Trump, working alongside Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, works to dramatically downsize the federal government.
While the president has long made clear his desire to shut down the department, this would require an act of Congress, McMahon noted during her confirmation hearings earlier this year ahead of her Monday confirmation.
The drafted executive order instructs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department,” according to CNN.
“The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” it states.
There have been previous calls for the Education Department to be dismantled and merged with another agency, but in the past, such measures haven’t garnered congressional support.
Before the administration pulled back the signing of the order on Thursday, Philadelphia Democrat Rep. Madeleine Dean slammed the Trump White House for taking steps to dismantle the Education Department, but she added that the news was “no surprise” when speaking to CNN.
“What you do want is an educated electorate,” said Dean. “Not if you’re Donald Trump and his cult-like members. They want citizens who are not educated.”
Dean pointed to the chapter on education on Project 2025 — the far-right plan for Trump’s second term blasted by Democrats during the 2024 campaign.
“This is what the first sentence says. Shut it down. Eliminate the Department of Education,” she noted.
During the campaign, Trump often cited the department as a source of federal overreach and connected it to the culture war.
“We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing,” said Trump.
Last month, the president said, “I told Linda, ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job in putting yourself out of a job.’ I want her to put herself out of a job.”
Following her confirmation on Monday, McMahon said in a message to staff, “This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students.”
“I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete, we will all be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future,” she added.
McMahon went on to say that “Millions of young Americans are trapped in failing schools, subjected to radical anti-American ideology, or saddled with college debt for a degree that has not provided a meaningful return on their investment.”
“Teachers are leaving the profession in droves after just a few years — and citing red tape as one of their primary reasons,” she added.
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What will happen to student loans if the Department of Education is closed down?
