US President Donald Trump has signed a decree to officially begin the process of closing the Department of Education. This was reported by The New York Times and CBS News.
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everyone knows it’s the right thing to do. We’re not doing well in education in this country, and we haven’t been for a long time,” Trump said.
A White House official told CBS News that the order would not affect student loans, Pell grants, Title I, which provides financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Earlier, Trump complained that the US spends too much on education, although it does not bring results.
“45 years after the creation of the Department of Education, the United States spends far more money on it than any other country and spends more per student than any other country, yet we are at the bottom of the list of educational success,” he said.
In addition, the White House stated that any programs or activities receiving Department of Education funds should not “promote DEI or gender ideology.”
As the NYT emphasizes, public schools in the United States are funded mainly by taxes collected by states and municipalities. The federal government accounts for about 10% of total school funding. Still, the Department of Education distributes these funds primarily by federal law, not at the president’s discretion.
In the two months since Trump took office, the Department of Education’s staff has been cut in half, and the administration plans to transfer some of its functions to other agencies.
At the same time, the complete elimination of the Department of Education will require Congress to adopt a law. Most bills in the Senate require 60 votes to pass, meaning that seven Democrats must vote for them along with all Republicans.
Republican attempts to close the Department of Education date back to the 1980s. Lately, however, they have gained momentum after the massive spread of the parental rights movement. This movement, which includes key pro-Trump activists, has revolved around opposition to progressive programs that have promoted specific educational standards and inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ students. Activists argued that these policies undermined parental rights and values.
