The Trump administration is considering signing an executive order this month to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Trump has criticized U.S. education for its poor performance and excessive spending. In recent international tests, the United States ranked sixth out of 81 countries in reading, 10th in science, and 26th in mathematics. Earlier test results showed the U.S. ranking lower, especially in math.

Conservatives have been fiercely critical of the Department of Education under the Biden administration, particularly on decisions such as student loan forgiveness and extending sex discrimination protections in education to LGBTQ people.

According to the latest news from comprehensive media, the Trump administration is considering signing an executive order later this month to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. The plan is part of a campaign by Musk and his allies to shrink federal agencies and reduce the size of the government workforce.

There are reports that officials are discussing an executive order,Close all functions of the Department of Education that are not expressly written into regulations, or transfer certain functions to other departments. The order will require the development of a legislative proposal to abolish the department, people familiar with the matter said.

There are also reports that the executive order will adopt a two-step strategy: first, instruct the Department of Education to formulate a plan to gradually end the functions of the Department of Education using the president’s existing executive powers; second, require the Department of Education to sort out the complex legal system required to delegate its power to other agencies in preparation for the eventual closure of the Department of Education, while requiring the formulation of legislative proposals to completely abolish the Department of Education.

Analysis pointed out that this move is aimed at fulfilling Trump’s campaign promises to eliminate the Department of Education, limit federal involvement in education, and give states more power. Conservatives have been fiercely critical of the Department of Education under the Biden administration, particularly on decisions such as student loan forgiveness and extending sex discrimination protections in education to LGBTQ people. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a conservative think tank, also calls for the department's elimination.

But the Trump administration's efforts to abolish the Department of Education face numerous obstacles, including legal restrictions, lack of support in Congress and public opposition. On the one hand, completely abolishing the Department of Education would require congressional legislative support, but Congress has shown little interest in this over the years. Trump tried and failed to merge the Departments of Education and Labor during his first term. On the other hand, according to the latest poll, 61% of registered voters oppose the abolition of the Ministry of Education. Most Americans prefer protecting funding for education and other domestic priorities over cutting taxes.

What does Trump think about abolishing the Department of Education?

Trump once said on the social media platform

In the most recent international test (PISA test), the United States ranked 6th out of 81 countries in reading, 10th in science, and 26th in mathematics. Earlier test results showed the U.S. ranking lower, especially in math.

Education expenditures in the United States are relatively high. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States spends more on education per student than many countries that score higher on these tests, such as Finland and South Korea.

Trump believes that some states may not perform well in education, but many states can manage education better with less spending. He predicts that 35 of the 50 states can perform well, and 15 to 20 of them can reach a level "as good as Norway."

Trump cited Norway as an example, possibly because the country is known for its high-quality education system and often ranks high in international tests.

While Trump has proposed abolishing the Department of Education, he has also advocated for the federal government to retain a limited oversight role. He said the federal government could "regulate a little bit", such as ensuring English is taught in schools. "You want to make sure they're teaching English, like. Give us some English, right?"


Why do American conservatives want to abolish the Department of Education?

In fact, abolishing the Department of Education has been a long-held Republican agenda. Republicans have sought to shut down the Department of Education since its creation in 1980 under President Ronald Reagan. Yet through multiple Republican administrations, including Trump’s first term, the U.S. Department of Education remains in existence.

The Ministry of Education was established in 1979 and is the smallest of the cabinet-level agencies. The existence of the Ministry of Education and most of its functions have a legal basis. Its primary activities include providing financial aid to low-income students, regulating school services for students with disabilities, enforcing civil rights laws, and administering federal student loan programs. Its largest K-12 education program funds schools in high-poverty areas and students with disabilities.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education is not the primary source of funding for U.S. schools. Before the infusion of pandemic relief funds, the federal government covered only about 8% of K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) education costs. In recent years, this proportion has increased to nearly 11%. However, giving up this money to circumvent federal regulations is not easy.

The analysis also said that conservative opposition is based on the following aspects:

  • Educational Sovereignty: Believes that education affairs should be managed by local and state governments, and excessive interference by the federal government violates the spirit of the Constitution.

  • Reduce the size of government: Conservatives believe in “small government” and want to cut federal agencies and bureaucracies.

  • Inefficiency: Conservatives criticize the Department of Education for being inefficient, wasteful of resources, and unable to effectively narrow educational gaps by race and poverty.

    • Behind this proposal is a debate between progressive versus conservative educational concepts. Under Democrats, the Department of Education has tended to favor more progressive approaches to education and civil rights enforcement, sparking resentment among conservatives. For example:

  • Obama years: The administration required schools to review the rates at which black students were suspended or expelled to prevent potential discrimination. This policy has been criticized as leading to lax school discipline and affecting safety.

  • Biden Era: The Biden administration enacted Title IX Amendment rules to provide more protections for LGBTQ students, but several Republican-led states filed lawsuits over the move.

    • Jonathan Butcher, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said states have been a source of innovation in education, such as charter schools and innovative initiatives such as education savings accounts. He believes the federal Education Department not only distracts states from improving education but also creates unnecessary bureaucracy.

    Butcher noted that despite improvements in some areas, achievement gaps based on race and poverty still exist. He believes this shows that the Department of Education has "failed to achieve its purpose" and emphasized that abolishing the Department of Education is "both in the interest of small government and in the interest of doing the right thing for children."