Trump signs executive order to dismantle the Department of Education

Donald Trump fulfilled another one of his campaign promises on Thursday. By signing an executive order from the Oval Office, the U.S. president intends to start dismantling the Department of Education to — fulfilling a long-standing Republican aspiration — distribute its functions among the states and “return power to parents” over their children’s education.

The text that Trump signed asks Linda McMahon, the newly appointed Secretary of Education, to begin dismantling the department, although this is not entirely within her control, as it requires congressional approval, specifically, 60 votes in the Senate, a highly unlikely outcome given that the Republicans, who control both chambers on Capitol Hill, only have 53 seats in the Senate. It is assumed that no member of the Democratic Party will support such a motion. Thus, Trump’s decision partly adds to his repertoire of political theatrics that has become a feature of the White House since his return to power.

What McMahon can do instead is reduce the Department of Education to its minimum size and power within the bounds of the law; that is, strip it of some of its functions so that other parts of the administration can manage them, which will surely provoke a backlash in the courts. It will most likely replicate the measures taken in other government agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk’s now-famous DOGE: deep cuts to staff, programs, and grants. In fact, the administration has already taken steps to reduce the department’s workforce by almost half.

The Department of Education’s powers are not as broad as those of similar European agencies. It does not decide on educational curricula — that is a matter for the states — nor does it tell teachers what to teach. Its leaders are responsible for federal funding of schools; they manage student loans, investigate discrimination complaints, and review national progress in reading and math skills. They also manage federal grants worth $18.4 billion and contribute to the funding of schools in low-income areas. They also have a program ($15.5 billion) to assist in the education of students with disabilities.

Effects on student loans

Perhaps the most serious consequences are the potential impact on the $1.6 trillion student loan program, which is provided in exchange for universities complying with the rules imposed on them to participate. Hundreds of thousands of students and alumni are unsure of what to expect with their outstanding debts, obligations that often weigh on them for decades.

Behind Trump’s decision lies the notion that federal education management has been in the hands of progressive officials for too long. According to this theory, these bureaucrats have deprived conservatives of their decision-making power over how best to educate their children by focusing on issues within the “woke” agenda, such as promoting gender equality, teaching about the country’s racist past, or addressing the so-called “gender ideology,” which advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ communities.

In a campaign video last summer, Trump claimed that “public schools have been taken over by the lunatics of the Radical Left” and that one of his priorities would be to “give power back to American parents.” In a subsequent message, he detailed how he planned to give American children the “high-quality, pro-American education they deserve.” Other promises were included to “cut federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children,” “keeping men out of women’s sports” (a reference to trans athletes), and ending “the Marxism being preached in our schools, which is aggressively hostile to Judeo-Christian teachings.”

The new Secretary of Education comes from the world of professional wrestling, where she made her considerable fortune, estimated at around $3.2 billion. Along with her husband, Vince McMahon, a longtime friend of Trump, she built a veritable wrestling empire in the 1980s and 1990s. She then served in Trump’s first administration as head of the agency responsible for small business management, a position she held from 2017 to 2019. When her appointment was confirmed by the Senate a couple of weeks ago, there was the paradox of seeing her defend her suitability for a position whose main mission was to destroy the department she aspired to head.

Trump and the McMahons did business together in the 1980s, when they were building their professional wrestling empire, and the future president built a casino in Atlantic City that he used for the show. In 2007, Trump and Vince McMahon participated in a contest called Battle of the Billionaires, a game in which each player chose a wrestler to fight for them. The winner was entitled to shave the loser’s head, and that’s how Trump shaved McMahon’s head live in a Detroit ring.

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