He finally said it. Well, he’s been saying it for years, but this time it feels different. If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the Donald Trump department of education tweet (or Truth Social post, depending on the day) where he promises to "shut it down."
It’s a bold claim. Closing a federal cabinet-level agency isn't exactly like closing a failing casino. There are laws, billions of dollars in student loans, and thousands of employees involved. But the message is resonating. People are tired of seeing American test scores tank while the federal bureaucracy grows. Honestly, whether you love the guy or can't stand him, you have to admit he knows how to pick a fight that gets everyone talking.
The Tweet That Set the Internet on Fire
Basically, the President's stance hasn't changed since the 2024 campaign trail. He wants to move education back to the states. He’s argued—quite loudly—that the U.S. spends more per pupil than almost any other country only to rank near the bottom in actual results.
On March 20, 2025, things moved past just "tweeting." Trump signed an executive order directing his Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to take "all necessary steps" to facilitate the closure of the department. This wasn't just a random late-night thought; it was a directive to start gutting the agency from the inside out.
But here is the thing most people miss: An executive order can't actually "delete" the Department of Education. Only Congress can do that. It was created by an act of Congress in 1979 under Jimmy Carter, and it takes an act of Congress to kill it.
What’s actually happening right now?
Right now, the administration is doing a "workaround." Since they can't legally vanish the department without 60 votes in the Senate (which they don't have), they are moving the furniture while the lights are still on.
- Staff Transfers: As of January 2026, the administration started moving Higher Education Programs staff over to the Department of Labor.
- Cutting Contracts: They’ve already axed nearly $900 million in research contracts.
- The "Skinny" Budget: The FY 2026 budget proposal looks like it went through a paper shredder. It targets things like the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) for total elimination.
Why Does He Want to Close It?
If you listen to the rhetoric, it’s about "wokeness" and "bureaucracy." Trump and his allies, including those behind Project 2025, argue that the federal government has used its checkbook to force social ideologies onto local schools.
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They want to turn Title I funding—that’s the money that helps schools in poor neighborhoods—into vouchers. The idea is that the money follows the student, not the system. It sounds simple, but critics say it would leave the neediest public schools in a complete lurch.
"We are sending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs," Secretary Linda McMahon said after the order was signed.
She’s a former WWE CEO, and she’s treating this like a corporate merger that went south. Her "final mission" for the agency is essentially to dismantle it.
The Money Problem
Let’s talk numbers. The Department of Education manages a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio. You can't just delete that. If the department closes, who collects the checks? Who manages the Pell Grants?
Trump has said these functions would be "preserved in full" and moved to other agencies like Treasury or Labor. But moving a $1.6 trillion operation is a logistical nightmare. It’s like trying to move a literal mountain with a couple of pickup trucks.
The Civil Rights Impact
This is where the debate gets really heated. The Department of Education houses the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). This office is the one that investigates when a school isn't accommodating students with disabilities or when there’s systemic discrimination.
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Under the current administration, the focus has shifted. They’ve halted thousands of investigations started during the Biden years. Instead, they are launching new ones focused on:
- Stopping transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.
- Investigating "anti-white" bias in curriculum.
- Cracking down on what they call "radical indoctrination."
If the department is abolished, these protections don't necessarily disappear—the laws (like Title IX) stay on the books—but there might not be anyone left to answer the phone when a parent calls to complain about a violation.
Can He Actually Do It?
Kinda. Sorta. Not really—at least not all the way.
To officially "close" the department, you need a bill to pass the House and the Senate. In a closely divided Congress, that is a massive "if." Even some Republicans are nervous about it. Why? Because their districts rely on that federal money.
If you’re a congressman in a rural area, and 15% of your local school budget comes from the feds, are you really going to vote to potentially lose that cash? Probably not.
However, the administration is proving they can make the department irrelevant without actually closing it. By moving the staff, cutting the budget, and refusing to enforce certain regulations, they can effectively turn the Department of Education into an empty building in D.C.
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What This Means for You
If you're a parent, a student, or a teacher, this isn't just political theater. It has real-world consequences.
For Students: Your Pell Grants and student loans are likely safe for now, but the way they are managed is changing. If your school relies heavily on Title I or IDEA (disability) funding, there could be "chaos" (as the National Education Association puts it) as the funding streams are restructured.
For Teachers: The "Parental Bill of Rights" that Trump mentioned in his tweets is a major priority. It could mean more oversight on what you teach and how you handle discipline in the classroom.
For Taxpayers: The administration claims this will save "tens of billions" of dollars in waste. Whether those savings actually materialize or just get swallowed up by the cost of the transition remains to be seen.
Actionable Insights: What You Should Do Now
- Watch the Appropriations: The real fight isn't in the tweets; it’s in the budget bills. Keep an eye on the January 30 funding deadline. If Congress doesn't agree on the "Skinny" budget, we could see a partial government shutdown.
- Contact Local School Boards: Since the goal is to "return power to the states," your local school board is about to become a lot more powerful. Attend their meetings.
- Check Your Loan Servicer: If you have federal student loans, stay alert for communications about transitions. If the "Higher Education" division moves to the Department of Labor, your login portal might change.
- Audit Your School’s Funding: Find out how much of your local district's budget comes from federal Title I or IDEA funds. This will give you a clear picture of how much "skin" your community has in this game.
The Donald Trump department of education tweet was a starting gun. We’re now in the middle of the race, and whether the department survives as a shell of its former self or disappears entirely, the American education system is never going to look the same.