On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” seeking to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE); a hotly contested point of contention since its inception in 1979.
The order calls for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities,” and for the “rigorous compliance” of all funds allocated to the DOE to be compliant with federal regulations. This includes diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as well as any initiatives “promoting gender ideology” that the Trump administration has been working to roll back.
“Education is fundamentally a state responsibility,” McMahon said in a DOE statement. “Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities.
The order also mentions the annual $60 billion worth of taxpayer money that goes toward the Department of Education “not educating anyone,” and the $1.6 trillion mountain of student loan debt that the department currently manages.
“The Department of Education has entrenched the education bureaucracy and sought to convince America that Federal control over education is beneficial,” the statement reads.
The signing comes nine days after the DOE slashed its workforce in half, cutting nearly 2,000 workers as part of a “reduction in force,” according to a DOE press release.
“Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
