Trump Vows to Close Education Department, Wants Congress’ Help
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his preference to dismantle the Department of Education during his second term, but indicated he preferred to build consensus around the idea rather than attempt the maneuver through executive fiat.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Transportation Memos Favor Places With Higher Birth and Marriage Rates
New York’s First ‘Passive House’ School Is a Model of Downtown Density
Trump said that some of his advisers had said he could shutter the Education Department through an executive order, but that his preference was to work with Congress as well as teachers’ unions.
“I think I’d work with Congress,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office. “I think we’d get — look, we have to work with the teachers union, because the teachers union is the only one that’s opposed to it. Nobody else would want to hold it back. Look, we have to tell the teachers union we’re rated last in the world in education.”
Trump said his primary concern was improving education after tests showed students lagging well behind historical standards, as well as other Western nations, despite federal spending on students. He said he believed that giving states more control over education while dismantling federal oversight would benefit more students.
The president’s comments come amid reports that the White House was preparing an executive action intending to dismantle the department. White House officials have said only that preparations were being made to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to do so.
Still, any effort is likely to face resistance from teachers unions, which have historically viewed efforts to turn control over to the states skeptically in part because they could funnel funds to private and charter schools staffed by educators without similar certifications. Those unions have historically backed Democratic presidential candidates, making the prospect of collaborating with Trump a long shot.
Abolishing the Department of Education would also be a challenging task. The agency has broad responsibilities: last year it distributed approximately $121 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study programs to nearly 10 million people, according to a fiscal year report. An annual application, known as FAFSA, managed by the agency has also become a fixture in the college application process, used by universities to help determine eligibility for scholarships.
Trump has nominated Linda McMahon, the onetime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who also ran the Small Business Administration in his first term, to head the agency. McMahon is awaiting confirmation, but the president has already moved to rein in the department, part of a broad assault aimed at reducing government spending and responsibilities and shrinking the size of the federal workforce.
“I told Linda: ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job,’” Trump said Tuesday.
At least 70 employees were placed on leave at the Education Department in recent days, according to Brittany Holder, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents some staffers at the agency. But that figure only accounts for members and employees who fall under the union, according to Holder, and the actual figure could be higher.
Some Education Department employees put on leave were caught in the administration’s efforts to purge federal workers involved in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Overall, the department has around 4,200 employees, according to its website.
“We are evaluating staffing in line with the commitment to prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in schools and putting student outcomes above special interests,” Madison Biedermann, an Education Department spokesperson, said in a statement.
Despite longstanding pressure from conservatives to shrink or do away with the Education Department, lawmakers have balked at eliminating it before.
Still, that pressure has intensified with Trump’s reelection after a campaign in which many issues dealing with education became political flash points, including former President Joe Biden’s student-loan debt relief, and criticism over teachings on race, gender and sexuality in schools.
(Updates with Education Department statement in 12th paragraph and additional Trump comments.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Amazon and SpaceX Want In on India’s Satellite Internet Market
The NFL’s Flawed DEI Program Still Beats What Most Companies Are Doing
Believing in Aliens Derailed This Internet Pioneer’s Career. Now He’s Facing Prison
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.