Surrounded by students and educators, US President Donald Trump enacted an executive order aimed at effectively dismantling the federal Department of Education, fulfilling a long-standing commitment to conservatives.
The order would delegate school policy almost entirely to states and local boards, a scenario that raises concerns among liberal education advocates.
The order will “start to eliminate” the department, Mr. Trump remarked during the signing ceremony in the White House’s East Room. Completely dissolving the department requires Congressional action, and Mr. Trump currently lacks the votes for such a measure.
“We’re going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs,” Mr. Trump stated.
Education has consistently been a political flashpoint in the US, with conservatives advocating for school choice policies that benefit private institutions and left-leaning voters generally supporting funding and programs for public schools.
Disputes over US education intensified during the coronavirus pandemic, a divide that Mr. Trump leveraged during his presidential campaign.
Mr. Trump has expressed his desire for Education Secretary Linda McMahon, present at the White House event, to effectively render herself unemployed. His executive order aims to pare down the department to its essential functions, such as administering student loans, Pell Grants, and resources for children with special needs.
President Trump holds an executive order after signing it alongside US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Mr. Trump declared. “It’s doing us no good.”
Despite Republican control of both Congressional chambers, Democratic support would be necessary to reach the required 60 votes in the Senate for such legislation to pass.
During the event, Mr. Trump indicated that the issue might ultimately be brought before Congress in a vote to eliminate the department entirely.
He was accompanied at the ceremony by Republican governors like Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida. He also acknowledged the conservative advocacy group Moms for Liberty.
The department oversees around 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the US, although more than 85% of public school funding originates from state and local governments. It allocates federal grants to assist underfunded schools and programs, including allocations for special needs teachers, arts initiatives, and infrastructure upgrades.
Additionally, it manages the $1.6 trillion in student loans held by millions of Americans who cannot afford college tuition outright.
Prior to the ceremony, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt pointed to disappointing literacy rates and test scores among American children as reasons for reducing the department, established in the 1970s.
Court battles ahead
Mr. Trump has acknowledged that obtaining support from lawmakers and teachers’ unions would be crucial to fulfilling his campaign promise to fully dissolve the department. He does not possess this backing.
“See you in court,” stated Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers union, in a statement.
US Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, noted in a statement: “Donald Trump knows very well he can’t abolish the Department of Education without Congress—but he realizes that if you dismiss all the staff and dismantle it, you’ll likely achieve a similarly disastrous outcome.”
Mr. Trump has also criticized higher education in the US by cutting funding and challenging diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at colleges and universities, mirroring his federal government approach.
Today, Columbia University faced a deadline to respond to demands for stricter regulations on campus protests as prerequisites for discussions regarding the reinstatement of $400 million in suspended federal funding.
A majority of the American public does not support the closure of the federal education department.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last month indicated that respondents opposed shutting down the Department of Education by roughly two to one—65% to 30%. This poll, carried out online nationwide, surveyed 4,145 US adults and had a margin of error of approximately two percentage points.
Federal aid constitutes 15% of total K-12 revenue in states that supported Mr. Trump’s 2024 election campaign, compared to 11% in states that voted for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, according to a Reuters analysis of Census Bureau data.
Two programs managed by the Department of Education—aid for low-income schools and assistance for students with special needs—are the most significant federal aid initiatives.
Historically, Republicans have shown little interest in revamping the Title I program for low-income schools, which is especially significant on a per-capita basis in conservative states like Alaska, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Wyoming, according to census data.
A proposal to permit that funding to be utilized by private schools and homeschools was turned down in the House of Representatives by a vote of 83-331 in March 2023, with more than half of the Republicans in the chamber opposing it.
Critical minerals
Mr. Trump also announced that he signed an executive order aimed at enhancing domestic production of critical minerals and reducing China’s dominance in the industry.
The White House did not immediately provide specifics regarding the executive order. Reuters previously reported that Mr. Trump would aim to establish metals refining facilities on Pentagon military bases and likely utilize national security powers to enhance production.
“I also signed an executive order to dramatically increase the production of critical minerals and rare earths.
“This is a significant focus in our country,” Mr. Trump mentioned.
Materials like lithium, copper, and other critical minerals are essential for various electronics, with demand expected to soar in the coming years for electric vehicle battery production. China remains the world’s primary producer or processor of many critical minerals.
US miners have long sought an executive order from Mr. Trump, citing bureaucratic delays as hindrances to the country’s production capacity.
“Accelerating American mining is vital to national security, and President Trump’s decisive actions acknowledge that,” stated Rich Nolan, head of the National Mining Association trade group.
Former Newmont executive David Copley has been appointed to oversee the mining portfolio for the US National Energy Dominance Council, according to two sources familiar with the appointment.
In this new role, Mr. Copley will be the most senior official in the federal government responsible for shaping mining policy, one of the sources disclosed.
Mr. Trump also indicated that the United States would soon finalize a minerals and natural resources agreement with Ukraine.
