It’s a massive building in D.C. Honestly, most people couldn't even tell you where it is. But the debate over why eliminate Department of Education has become the loudest shouting match in American politics lately. It isn't just a fringe talking point anymore. We're talking about an agency that spends billions. Every year.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) doesn't actually run schools. That’s the first thing you have to wrap your head around. It doesn't hire your kid's math teacher. It doesn't pick the cafeteria's "mystery meat" menu. Yet, it sits at the center of a tug-of-war between federal oversight and state sovereignty that has been brewing since Jimmy Carter signed it into existence back in 1979.
Critics say it's a bloated bureaucracy. Supporters say it’s the only thing protecting civil rights in the classroom. The truth is messy.
The Constitutional Argument for Getting Rid of It
If you look at the Constitution, education isn't in there. It’s just not. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states. For nearly two centuries, that’s how America worked. Then came 1979.
The primary reason many people advocate for why eliminate Department of Education is simple: they believe it's unconstitutional. They argue that a bureaucrat in a Washington office shouldn't be making decisions for a third-grader in rural Wyoming.
Think about the sheer variety of this country. A school district in the Bronx has radically different needs than one in the middle of a Kansas wheat field. When the federal government issues a mandate, it's usually a one-size-fits-all solution. But kids aren't one-size-fits-all. They never have been. By removing this federal layer, proponents argue that power shifts back to parents and local boards—the people who actually know the students' names.
Does the Spending Actually Help Students?
Let’s talk money. Since the Department's inception, federal spending on education has skyrocketed. We have poured trillions of dollars into the system. And the result? National assessment scores—like the NAEP, often called "The Nation's Report Card"—have largely stagnated.
If you spend more and get the same or worse results, any business would call that a failure. In government, we often just call it Tuesday.
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Basically, the ED acts as a middleman. It takes tax dollars from citizens in the states, sends them to D.C., skims some off the top for administrative costs, and then sends it back to the states with a bunch of "strings" attached. These strings are the real kicker. To get that federal "Title I" funding for low-income students, schools have to comply with mountains of paperwork.
Teachers often complain they spend more time documenting "compliance" than they do grading papers. It's exhausting.
If you're wondering why eliminate Department of Education is such a hot topic for fiscal conservatives, look at the 2024 budget. We are looking at nearly $80 billion in discretionary funding. Critics argue that if you just left that money in the states to begin with, you’d eliminate the administrative waste of the federal middleman.
The Red Tape and Regulation Headache
Regulation is a sneaky thing. It starts with a good intention—like ensuring equal access—and ends with a 500-page handbook on how to report the number of desks in a hallway.
Local school boards often find their hands tied. They want to innovate. They want to try new vocational programs or different schedules. But then they hit a federal wall. One specific example is the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA), which replaced "No Child Left Behind." While it gave some power back to the states, the federal government still dictates the broad strokes of testing and accountability.
When people discuss why eliminate Department of Education, they are often talking about the "Common Core" era or similar federal pushes. While the ED didn't technically "mandate" Common Core, it used "Race to the Top" grants to heavily incentivize states to adopt specific standards. It was a "voluntary" choice that felt a lot like an ultimatum.
What Happens to Civil Rights and Special Education?
This is where the conversation gets incredibly serious. This is the "but" that stops many people in their tracks.
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The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) lives inside the Department of Education. It’s the body that enforces Title IX (preventing sex-based discrimination) and Section 504 (protecting students with disabilities). If you eliminate the department, what happens to the kid who is being denied an IEP (Individualized Education Program)?
Advocates for the department argue that without federal oversight, some states might return to discriminatory practices or simply underfund special education. They point to the pre-1970s era as proof that states can't always be trusted to protect the most vulnerable.
However, the counter-argument is that states already have their own constitutions and civil rights laws. You don't necessarily need a federal department to ensure a child with autism gets an education; you need a functioning court system and local accountability. It's a gamble, though. A big one.
The Student Loan Nightmare
The Department of Education also manages the federal student loan portfolio. This is a massive $1.6 trillion beast.
Honestly, the government's entry into the student loan market is a big reason why college tuition has gone through the roof. When the government guarantees loans to everyone, colleges have zero incentive to keep costs down. They know the check will clear.
By eliminating the department, or at least its role in lending, you’d effectively be forcing a massive reset on the higher education industry. It would be painful. Some colleges would go bankrupt. But proponents of the move say it's the only way to stop the "tuition bubble" from saddling more twenty-somethings with debt they can never repay.
Real-World Examples of Decentralization
Look at countries like Switzerland. They don't have a national "Ministry of Education" in the way many other countries do. Their education is highly decentralized, managed mostly at the "canton" (state) level. Their vocational training is world-class.
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In the U.S., we see bits of this in the "school choice" movement. Florida and Arizona have moved toward systems where the money follows the student, rather than the building. When you look at why eliminate Department of Education, the goal for many is to facilitate this kind of local competition.
The Political Reality: Can It Actually Be Done?
Abolishing a cabinet-level department is a Herculean task. It requires an Act of Congress. It’s not just an Executive Order.
Even if a President wanted it gone, they’d have to figure out where to put the "essential" functions. Title IX enforcement would likely move to the Department of Justice. Pell Grants and student loans would probably move to the Treasury.
It wouldn't be a total "deletion" of every program. It would be a redistribution. The goal is to strip away the policy-making and the "meddling" while keeping the fundamental financial support for the poor.
Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you are following the debate on why eliminate Department of Education, you shouldn't just take a politician's word for it. You’ve got to see where the money goes.
- Check your local school budget: See what percentage of your district's funding actually comes from the federal government. Usually, it's less than 10%. Is that 10% worth the regulations that come with it?
- Read the Tenth Amendment: Understand the legal basis for the "states' rights" argument. It’s the foundation of the entire movement.
- Audit the results: Look up your state’s proficiency scores on the NAEP website. Compare the spending increases over the last 20 years to the performance of the students.
- Follow the "Department of Education Closing Act": Keep an eye on bills introduced in Congress, like those often proposed by Representatives like Thomas Massie. These bills outline exactly how the "wind-down" would happen.
The conversation about why eliminate Department of Education is really a conversation about who we trust. Do we trust a centralized, distant authority to define "success" for millions of diverse children? Or do we trust the people living in those communities to figure it out for themselves?
It’s about the balance between national standards and local freedom. And as of 2026, that balance is more precarious than it has been in decades. Whether the department stays or goes, the current system's inefficiency is something both sides are starting to admit. Change, in some form, is coming.
Next Steps for Navigating This Issue:
Identify the "Title I" and "IDEA" funding levels in your specific county. These are the two biggest federal programs. If the Department of Education were eliminated, these are the funds that would either need to be block-granted to your state or replaced by state taxes. Understanding these numbers is the only way to move the debate from political theory to practical reality. Check your state's Department of Education website for the "Annual Financial Report" to find these specific figures.