Trump Planning EO Directing Education Department to ‘Diminish Itself,’ Reports Say
Jessica Blake
February 6, 2025
News reports about the potential executive order come after the Trump administration suspended dozens of department staff.
The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, though the specifics are still in the works, two news outlets reported Monday.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the order could “shut down all functions of the agency that aren’t written explicitly into statute or move certain functions to other departments,” citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Likewise, The Washington Post reported that the order wouldn’t directly abolish the agency but instead “directs the agency to begin to diminish itself,” citing three people who were briefed on the order.
