On February 13, 2025, US President Donald Trump called for the immediate closure of the federal Department of Education, marking the latest in a series of sweeping actions since taking office. Despite acknowledging the complexity of the process, Trump reiterated his desire to shut down the agency, which employs over 4,200 people and has a budget of $251 billion. While Trump had previously suggested closing the department through an executive order, achieving this goal would require support from Congress and teachers’ unions. The proposed closure could disrupt billions of dollars in funding for K-12 schools and college tuition assistance programs.
This move is part of Trump’s broader efforts to enact changes in US government operations, focusing on reducing the size of the federal workforce and cutting costs. Trump has also targeted agencies like the US Agency for International Development for closure. Trump has been critical of the Department of Education, calling it a “big con job” and assigning his nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon, to oversee its closure. This is not the first time Trump has proposed ending the Education Department, having raised the issue during his first term from 2017 to 2021.
Conservative think tanks advocating for the department’s abolition have suggested that other agencies could assume responsibility for managing educational aid programs. Congress, however, did not act on Trump’s previous proposals to shut down the Education Department. Trump’s latest call for immediate closure has sparked debate and concern over the potential consequences for education funding in the US.
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