A leaked draft of a new executive order suggests President Donald Trump is planning to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, which has been around in some form since 1867.
Now, over 40 years after its modern version was established, Trump is expected to sign an order to get rid of it as soon as today (March 6).
RELATED STORIES
The Wall Street Journal was the first to break the news after obtaining a copy of the draft and speaking to sources familiar with the situation.
Trump plans to abolish the Department of Education
According to the Journal, the order tells the newly appointed Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” while following “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”
The document was labeled ‘pre-decisional,’ meaning it could still be changed.
The Department of Education has origins dating back to 1867
The department in its current form was officially created in 1979, but its history actually goes back much further. In 1867, President Andrew Johnson signed legislation to set up the first Department of Education, according to the department’s website.
Back then, its main purpose was to collect data and statistics about schools across the country. However, just a year later, it was downgraded to an Office of Education.
Congress established the department to improve education
When Congress created the department in 1979, the goal was to ensure equal access to education, encourage public involvement in federal education programs, and push for improvements in education quality and effectiveness.
Trump administration argues that federal control has failed
The draft order reportedly states: “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.”
Linda McMahon is responsible for carrying out the closure
McMahon was officially confirmed as Trump’s Secretary of Education on Monday (March 3). That same evening, she sent an email to department staff explaining the plan to “send education back to the states.”
According to the Journal, she also wrote that Trump and his supporters had “tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of the bureaucratic bloat here at the Education Department — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly.”
The executive order faces legal and political challenges
For the executive order to actually go through, it would need to get a 60-vote majority in the Senate. Right now, the department is responsible for distributing federal funding to almost every public K-12 school in the U.S. and managing a massive $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio.
The draft order doesn’t say anything about needing Congress to approve the plan, but McMahon has already admitted that Congress would have to be involved to make it happen.
McMahon says congressional approval is necessary
During her confirmation hearing, she made it clear: “We’d like to do this right. That certainly does require congressional action.”
It’s a bold move, but whether it actually happens is another story. With legal hurdles and political pushback ahead, this could turn into a long battle — or just another idea that never makes it past the paperwork.
Last Updated on March 7, 2025 by Reem Haqqi
