IBL News | New York
President Trump will soon sign an executive order to shut down the U.S. Department of Education and put out job Linda McMahon, who the Senate confirmed on Monday.
Eliminating the department will also require an act of Congress.
Linda McMahon told employees her final mission was to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and turn over the agency to states.
Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already cut dozens of contracts dismissed as “woke and wasteful.”
It also gutted the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.
The U.S. Department of Education’s main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools, manages the $1.5 trillion federal student loan portfolio, and oversees the Pell Grant, which provides aid to students below a certain income threshold.
These tasks are expected to be assigned to another agency.
The Education Department also plays an essential regulatory role in services for students, ranging from those with disabilities to low-income and homeless kids.
Trump has vowed to cut off federal money for schools and colleges that push “critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” and to reward states and schools that end teacher tenure and support universal school choice programs.
Federal funding makes up a small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%.
Colleges and universities rely more on it through research grants and federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.
