Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Is Said to Be Preparing Order That Aims to Eliminate Education Department
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 3 months ago on
March 6, 2025

Linda McMahon, nominee for Secretary of Education, testifies at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday Feb. 12, 2025. President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an order that would instruct McMahon to begin dismantling her agency, setting the stage for a potential power struggle with Congress and another round of legal challenges from opponents. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an order that would instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling her agency, setting the stage for a potential power struggle with Congress and another round of legal challenges from opponents.

An administration official said the order could be signed as soon as Thursday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak about private deliberations.

No modern president has ever tried to unilaterally shut down a federal department. The Education Department was created by an act of Congress in 1979, and federal lawmakers would likely have to approve eliminating it.

Trump’s Order Expected to Cause Legal Fight

Trump’s order was expected to spark another legal fight for the administration, which is already embroiled in multiple lawsuits over actions in its first six weeks.

The American Federation of Teachers noted in a statement late Wednesday that the Education Department was “legally required” to distribute federal funds — money approved for poor students, those with disabilities and others — to states.

“Any attempt by the Trump administration or Congress to gut these programs would be a grave mistake, and we will fight them tooth and nail,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the union.

A draft of Trump’s order circulated in Washington on Wednesday before a potential announcement. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Trump could sign the order as soon as Thursday.

Trump has been blunt about his desire to do away with the department entirely. He remarked recently that he hoped McMahon would effectively put herself out of a job.

He told reporters last month that the Education Department was “a big con job” and that “I’d like to close it immediately.”

McMahon’s first action as education secretary was to email the department’s staff about its “final mission,” an indication of how she planned to fulfill Trump’s goal of shuttering the department.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Michael C. Bender/Haiyun Jiang
c. 2025 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

2 hours ago

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

4 hours ago

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A massive manhunt entered a second day on Sunday in Minnesota for the gunman who killed a Democratic state law...

5 minutes ago

Bullet holes mark the front door of Minnesota state Senator John Hoffman, who was shot alongside his wife, Yvette, in what is believed to be an attack by 57-year-old suspect Vance Luther Boelter, who is also the lead suspect in the shooting deaths of senior Democratic state assemblywoman Melissa Hortman and her husband, Marc, in Champlin, Minnesota, U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans
5 minutes ago

Manhunt for Gunman Who Shot Two Minnesota Lawmakers Enters Second Day

Israelis take shelter at the side of a highway as siren sounds following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in central Israel June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
11 minutes ago

Israel and Iran Bombard Each Other, Trump Says He Can ‘Easily’ End Conflict

President Donald Trump speaks as he attends a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday, on the day of his 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
15 minutes ago

Trump Vetoed an Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

2 hours ago

Newsom Wanted To Fast-Track the Delta Tunnel Project. The Legislature Slowed the Flow

4 hours ago

Five Weeknight Dishes: Seven Ingredients or Fewer, Because Summer

4 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Unveils Second Wave of 2025 Concert Acts

17 hours ago

Israel Says Attacks on Iran Are Nothing Compared With What Is Coming

17 hours ago

Military Parade Barrels Through Nation’s Capital With Tanks, Troops and 21-Gun Salute

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend