President Donald Trump took bold action this week to dismantle the federal Department of Education, fulfilling a key campaign promise to shrink Washington’s control over schools. Standing with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Trump signed an executive order directing her to begin closing the agency created 45 years ago. “We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said, calling the department a failed experiment that wasted billions while student test scores stagnated.
Secretary McMahon, confirmed just weeks ago, has already fired half the department’s staff. Her “final mission” is to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and return power to parents and local leaders. “Education belongs in the hands of families, not Washington liberals pushing radical social agendas,” McMahon said. The order freezes taxpayer money flowing to universities like Penn that promoted transgender athletes over fairness in women’s sports.
Trump’s plan slashes funding for diversity programs and “gender ideology” indoctrination in schools. The administration halted $175 million for Penn after the school allowed a biological male to compete against female swimmers. “These divisive experiments hurt kids,” McMahon said. The department will redirect remaining funds to basics like math and reading while protecting student loans and grants during the transition.
Democrats and teachers’ unions immediately attacked the move, claiming it would “destroy public education.” But conservatives praised Trump for standing up to overreach. For decades, Washington bureaucrats used schools to push critical race theory and anti-American ideas. Now states can set standards that reflect community values instead of woke ideologies.
The order tells McMahon to work with Congress to finish dismantling the department legally. Though opponents threaten lawsuits, Trump remains confident. “We’re following the law to restore local control,” McMahon said. The administration will transfer essential services like civil rights enforcement to other agencies, ensuring fairness without political agendas.
At Penn, administrators panicked after losing federal grants. The university recently gutted its diversity programs to comply with Trump’s earlier orders. “Parents don’t want their tuition dollars funding social experiments,” McMahon said. By cutting red tape, the reforms let colleges focus on preparing students for real jobs instead of pointless degrees.
Liberal critics claim closing the department will hurt students. But Trump’s team argues throwing money at failing schools hasn’t worked. Letting states manage education dollars means more resources reach classrooms instead of padding bureaucrat salaries. “Families know best how to educate their kids, not some DC pencil-pusher,” one White House official said.
This historic move signals a return to common sense. For too long, elitist officials ignored parents’ concerns about inappropriate curriculum and declining standards. By dismantling the education bureaucracy, Trump is giving power back to the people—and protecting children from radical indoctrination.
