What Does The Department Of Education Do And Why Does Trump Want To Abolish It? What You Need To Know

The Department of Education has been a key part of the U.S. government for decades, overseeing federal education policies and school funding.

However, President Donald Trump has clarified that he wants to eliminate it. So, what exactly does the Department do, and why is Trump pushing for its abolition? Here's what you need to know.

Linda McMahon Ordered To Shut Down The Education Department

Trump has explained that he wants his newly appointed education chief, Linda McMahon, to 'put herself out of a job' by shutting down the Department of Education. Notably, the Senate confirmed McMahon on Monday. An executive order to dissolve the Department could be issued as early as this week.

McMahon told employees that the Department's 'final mission' is to cut bureaucratic excess and transfer its authority to the states. Completely shutting down the Department would be a complicated process, likely requiring congressional approval. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has started restructuring many of its operations, according to an Associated Press report.

Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has cancelled dozens of contracts that it considers 'woke' and wasteful. Additionally, the Department has significantly scaled back the Institute of Education Sciences, which monitors the nation's academic progress. The administration has also fired or suspended numerous employees.

Understanding The Department's Core Roles

The agency's core function concerns finances. It allocates billions of federal dollars yearly to colleges and schools and administers the federal student loan system. Dismantling the Department would necessitate transferring all those functions to another governing body.

The Department further establishes regulations for a wide array of student support, covering students with disabilities, low-income students, and those experiencing homelessness. Federal education funding is essential to Trump's plans for schools and colleges.

He has promised to cut federal funding to institutions that promote 'critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.' At the same time, he aims to reward states and schools that eliminate teacher tenure and support universal school choice programs.

Federal money covers only a small part of public school spending — about 14%. Colleges and universities depend on it more, through research funds and student aid that helps pay for classes, according to a report by Peter G. Peterson Foundation (PGPF). Here's an overview of key departmental responsibilities and Trump's plans to address them.

Paying For College: Loans And Aid

The Education Department handles about £1.16 trillion ($1.5 trillion) in student loan debt for more than 40 million people. It also runs the Pell Grant, which helps students with limited income and manages the FAFSA, which colleges use to decide who gets financial aid.

The Department's work under Joe Biden's administration was marked by efforts to relieve student loan debt. While the Supreme Court reversed its initial broad cancellation plan, it successfully forgave over £135.81 billion ($175 billion) for more than 4.8 million borrowers through changes to programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Loan forgiveness efforts have faced opposition from Republicans, including lawsuits initiated by several states led by the GOP. Trump has slammed Biden's debt cancellation efforts as illegal and unfair, calling them a 'total catastrophe' that 'taunted young people.' However, he has not outlined a clear plan for addressing student debt.

Protecting Student Rights

The Education Department, through its Office for Civil Rights, looks into complaints and provides direction on how civil rights laws apply, for example, to LGBTQ+ students and students of colour.

A key function of the office is a large-scale data-gathering initiative, which documents disparities in educational resources, course offerings, and student discipline across diverse racial and socioeconomic groups.

The current administration has proposed a new way to view the office's civil rights work. They have directed the Department to prioritise complaints of antisemitism and started investigations into colleges and sports leagues that allow transgender athletes to compete on women's teams.

Trump, in his campaign platform, pledged to pursue civil rights cases to 'stop schools from discriminating on the basis of race.' He has labelled diversity and equity policies in education as 'explicit, unlawful discrimination' and warned that colleges implementing them would face fines and taxes on their endowments.

Trump has also said he will remove transgender students from Title IX protections, which impact school rules on pronoun use, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Title IX, initially a women's rights law from 1972, was recently interpreted by the previous administration to include gender identity and sexual orientation, but a judge reversed that decision.

Ensuring College Quality

Though the Education Department doesn't accredit colleges and universities itself, it supervises the system by examining all federally approved accrediting bodies. College accreditation is a must for schools to receive federal student financial aid.

Accreditation drew conservative criticism in 2022 after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools raised concerns about political interference at Florida's public colleges and universities. Trump has vowed to remove 'radical left accreditors' and accept applications for new ones that uphold standards such as "defending the American tradition" and eliminating 'Marxist' diversity administrators.

Ending a relationship with an accrediting agency is within the education secretary's power, but it's a difficult undertaking seldom carried out. The Department under President Barack Obama attempted to withdraw recognition of accreditors for a now-closed for-profit college system, though the Trump administration halted that action.

The Biden administration ultimately ended the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools in 2022.

Funding For Public Schools

The Education Department's funding for elementary and high schools is largely provided through federal programs like Title I for schools with low-income students and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These programs help pay for services for students with disabilities, smaller classes with more teachers, and staff like social workers in schools.

During his campaign, Trump proposed transferring those responsibilities to the states. However, he has not provided details on how the agency's core duties, such as distributing federal funds to local districts and schools, would be managed.

Project 2025, a plan by the Heritage Foundation detailing a far-right vision for the nation, proposed a change. It suggested moving control of programs for children with disabilities and low-income kids to the Department of Health and Human Services, then gradually ending the funding and giving states unrestricted grants.