President Donald Trump is preparing to take one of the most dramatic steps of his administration—issuing an executive order to abolish the Department of Education. According to The Wall Street Journal, the order could come as soon as Thursday, setting in motion a plan to dismantle the federal agency and shift control of education back to the states.
The draft order, reviewed by WSJ, directs newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” within the maximum legal limits. It offers a scathing indictment of the agency’s role in shaping American education:
“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.”
Trump has long argued that the Department of Education has done more harm than good. His criticism is blunt: the U.S. ranks 40th globally in education outcomes, yet it spends more per student than any other nation. In his words, “It’s a big con job.”
Calls to abolish the Department of Education have been a staple of conservative politics for decades. The agency, created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, has faced persistent criticism for its expansion of federal control over schools, its heavy-handed regulations, and its funding of controversial education programs.
McMahon, who took office pledging to return control of education to the states, made it clear in a letter to Senate Democrats that she fully supports Trump’s plan. She outlined three core principles that will guide the department’s remaining time:
- Parents are the primary decision-makers in their children’s education.
- Taxpayer-funded education should focus on math, reading, science, and history—not DEI and gender ideology.
- Post-secondary education should be a pathway to a high-paying career that aligns with workforce needs.
With roughly 4,500 employees, the Department of Education is the smallest cabinet-level agency. According to WSJ, it is already offering buyouts of up to $25,000 for employees to resign or retire ahead of expected workforce reductions.
If Trump’s executive order goes into effect, the department’s functions will be reassigned to the states, private organizations, or other government agencies. Federal education grants—long criticized for tying state funding to federal mandates—could be dismantled or restructured entirely.
