So, the headline is everywhere again. President-elect Trump wants to close the Education Department, and if you’ve been on social media for five minutes, you’ve probably seen two very different versions of what that means. One side says it’s the end of public schools as we know them. The other says it’s finally time to kick Washington bureaucrats out of our local classrooms.
The reality? It’s a lot messier than a campaign slogan.
Honestly, we’ve been here before. Ronald Reagan promised the exact same thing back in 1980. He even got elected in a landslide, but the department is still standing at 400 Maryland Avenue. But this time feels different because the "how" is already starting to happen behind the scenes.
Can he actually turn off the lights?
Basically, no. At least, not by himself.
The Department of Education was created by the Department of Education Organization Act of 1979. Since it was born through an act of Congress, it has to be killed by an act of Congress. Trump can’t just sign a piece of paper and make the whole building vanish. He needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, and even with a Republican majority, that’s a mountain to climb. Some moderate Republicans from states that rely heavily on federal funding might not be so quick to pull the trigger.
But here is what most people miss: you don’t have to "close" a department to effectively end it. You can starve it.
We’re already seeing "Interagency Agreements" (IAAs) popping up. In late 2025, the administration started moving pieces of the puzzle to other departments. It's a strategy called "disaggregation." Instead of one big Education Department, you move the student loans to the Treasury, the K-12 grants to the Department of Labor, and the Tribal programs to the Interior.
👉 See also: Why the Recent Snowfall Western New York State Emergency Was Different
If you move all the furniture out of the house, does the house still exist? Technically, yes. But you can't live in it.
What happens to the money?
This is the big one. If president-elect Trump wants to close the Education Department, what happens to the billions of dollars sent to local schools?
Most federal K-12 money comes through two big pipes: Title I (for low-income schools) and IDEA (for special education).
- Title I: The administration has floated the idea of turning this into a "no-strings-attached" block grant. Instead of the feds telling schools how to spend it, the money goes to the Governor, and the state decides.
- School Choice: There’s a massive push to let that federal money "follow the student." This means if a parent pulls their kid out of a public school to homeschool or go to a private academy, a chunk of that federal cash might go with them.
Critics, like those at the American Federation of Teachers, argue this will gut public school budgets. Proponents, including Education Secretary Linda McMahon, say it empowers parents. It’s a fundamental shift in philosophy.
The $1.6 Trillion Question: Student Loans
If you have student loans, you’re probably sweating right now. Don't panic—your debt isn't going to vanish, but who you pay might change.
The Department of Education currently manages a $1.6 trillion portfolio. That is a gargantuan amount of money. The plan on the table involves moving the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) to the Department of the Treasury or even the Small Business Administration (SBA).
✨ Don't miss: Nate Silver Trump Approval Rating: Why the 2026 Numbers Look So Different
We’ve already seen some "Identity Verification" steps introduced in 2025 to weed out fraud, and there’s a clear move toward capping graduate loans. The goal is to stop "tuition inflation" by cutting off the endless flow of easy federal credit to universities.
Civil Rights and the "Culture War"
The Education Department isn’t just a bank; it’s a cop. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the wing that handles Title IX—the law that prevents sex-based discrimination.
Under the current plan, the administration is using the department to aggressively roll back DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. They’ve launched scores of investigations into schools that allow transgender athletes in women’s sports. If the department closes, these enforcement duties would likely head over to the Department of Justice.
Some folks think this is great because it stops "woke" overreach. Others are terrified that without a dedicated education staff, things like bullying protections or accessibility for disabled students will fall through the cracks.
Why it's harder than it looks
Look, moving an agency is a logistical nightmare.
The Department of Education has about 4,000 employees. That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually the smallest cabinet-level agency. Moving those people—and their decades of institutional knowledge—to the Department of Labor is already causing "Reduction in Force" (RIF) notices and mass confusion.
🔗 Read more: Weather Forecast Lockport NY: Why Today’s Snow Isn’t Just Hype
When you move a grant program to an agency that doesn't understand education, things break. If a school in rural Alabama doesn't get its Title I check on time because a Labor Department bureaucrat didn't know which form to sign, that’s a real-world problem for real-world kids.
Actionable Steps: What you should do now
If you're a parent, a student, or a teacher, the "wait and see" approach is okay, but being proactive is better.
For Students and Borrowers:
Keep your records. Seriously. If the management of your loans moves from one agency to another, paperwork gets lost. Download your payment history from the FSA website now. Don’t assume the "new guy" will have all your data on day one.
For Parents of Students with Disabilities:
Stay close to your local school board. Since the federal government is trying to hand more power (and responsibility) to the states, your local and state-level advocacy matters more than ever. The protections of IDEA are federal law, but the enforcement is about to get a lot more local.
For School Administrators:
Look at your Title I allocations. If those turn into block grants, your state legislature is about to become the most important building in your life. Start building those relationships now before the federal "middleman" disappears.
Ultimately, the goal isn't just to "close" a department. It's a total rewrite of who is in charge of American kids' futures. Whether that’s a "return to excellence" or a "reckless gamble" depends entirely on who you ask—and how well the hand-off is handled in the coming months.