Trump can't end the Department of Education without Congress but what programs can he curtail?
Trump can't end the Department of Education without Congress but what programs can he curtail?
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Getting rid of the Department of Education would require an act of Congress. President Donald Trump and his administration are reportedly considering issuing executive actions or orders that would effectively shut down the Department of Education. While he can’t close the agency without Congressional approval, it doesn’t mean his acts can’t have a big impact. Two of the most important functions of the DOE - providing $15.6 billion to lower-income communities and $15 billion to help districts provide for students with disabilities - are protected by statute.
![[The exact impact of Trump’s anti-DEI order on federal funding to scholarships is unclear as reports swirl the president could be looking to make big changes to the Department of Education]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/28/18/GettyImages-2167038599.jpg)
While the DOE provides funding for public schools, it accounts for less than 10 percent of the nation’s public school funding. Here are some ways Trump could significantly change the DOE:. One proposed way Trump could revoke power from the DOE is by moving some of its functions to other departments. That move would keep certain programs that were established by Congress. Under Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, the federal government is prohibited from funding programs or policies that promote diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion which could leave some scholarships vulnerable.
But to leave the department with little power, Trump and his administration could slash the DOE workforce even further in the same vein as it did with the U.S. Agency for International Development and deactivate emails or tell employees not to come into work. Millions of federal employees have been offered buyouts as well. Staffers in the DOE could be incentivized to take the deals. The DOE has a relatively small number of employees with slightly more than 4,200 workers.
“Effectively shutting down the Department of Education through Executive Order or mass firings is a recipe for chaos that will disrupt the lives of students across the country,” Aaron Ament, a former Obama administration official, told the Post. “Trying to do so without Congress is not only shortsighted but illegal and unconstitutional,” Ament said. Executive orders aimed at reducing DEI and expanding school choice also call for a reallocation of federal spending which could mean the government provides less funding to DOE.
