‘We’re Going to Shut It Down’
Katherine Knott and Jessica Blake
March 19, 2025
Nearly 60 days into his second term in office, Trump followed through on his campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education. Now it’s up to Congress to decide if the agency will be abolished entirely.
After weeks of rumors and one false start, President Donald Trump signed the long-awaited executive order Thursday directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to close down her department “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”
The order won’t result in the immediate closure of the 45-year-old agency; only Congress can get rid of the department. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the aim is to reduce the size of the agency but still administer “critical functions,” such as enforcing civil rights laws, issuing student loans and disbursing Pell Grants.
The final order, which Trump signed during a ceremony that included several Republican governors and other key lawmakers, is largely similar to a draft version that Inside Higher Ed obtained earlier this month. It calls for McMahon to “return authority over education to the states and local communities” and ensure “the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.” Neither Trump nor McMahon, however, have outlined a plan for closing the department—a process that experts say would be lengthy and complex, even if Congress signs off.
