On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the Federal Department of Education’s main functions to be returned to state governments. Abolishing the Department of Education would require an act of Congress, and Trump stated “Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof.” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, therefore, retains all of the powers attributed to her by the Department of Education Organizational Act despite Trump’s encouragement that she dismantle the department. Everyone in this country deserves access to a quality education and no president or governmental power should be able to take that away.
Senator Bill Cassidy, who represents Louisiana, stated on X that he would “support the President’s goals by submitting legislation to accomplish this as soon as possible.” At the time of writing, Cassidy has not introduced such a bill.
Redistributing the Department of Education’s responsibilities would significantly disrupt the efficiency and equity of federal education programs. Without the Department of Education’s centralized structure, state and local agencies face limited resources, reduced accountability and conflicting directives.
Programs like IDEA Part B, which allocated $12.9 billion in 2024 to ensure that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate education, rely on centralized, federal oversight to ensure consistency and legal protections across the country.
Similarly, decentralizing Title VII’s McKinney-Vento program, which allocates $106 million towards ensuring homeless children have access to education, and Title III programs, which allocate $797 million towards supporting immigrant students and students still learning English, could reduce coordination and weaken protections nationwide. According to the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Network, these programs depend on clear federal guidelines and competitive grant processes to reach vulnerable populations efficiently. Ultimately, reassigning these responsibilities threatens to undermine the federal government’s ability to equitably support vulnerable students.Those with disabilities, who are still learning English and who are facing homelessness now are at risk of losing critical federal resources.
According to Forbes, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is responsible for distributing over $120 billion annually in grants, loans and work-study funds. Dismantling the Department of Education risks causing delays and disruptions for students and institutions that are reliant on timely financial support.
The reduction in staff, particularly in areas like customer service and technical assistance, would complicate these challenges even more. As reported by NPR, Trump’s plan to shift the responsibility of the federal student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration (SBA) could complicate the management of the approximately $1.6 trillion in loans, affecting 43 million borrowers. According to NBC, Trump has vowed to preserve federal Pell Grants and Title I funding. While these programs may remain intact, their redistribution across other agencies could lead to inefficiencies, reducing the Department of Education’s ability to support students directly.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
