Chicago – March 20, 2025
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday asking U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take steps to close the Department of Education and give control of education back to the states and local communities. The signing event took place at the White House, where the president was joined by students and Republican governors from Texas, Indiana, Florida, and Ohio.
This move had been expected since February when the White House first announced its plans but waited until McMahon’s confirmation to act. The order comes after the Trump administration has already started cutting jobs at the Department of Education. According to the White House, the department had 4,133 employees when Trump took office. Nearly 600 workers have left, and last week, 1,300 workers were told they would be laid off. Now, only 2,183 staff remain.
The executive order tells McMahon to take action “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” This means the department cannot be fully shut down without approval from Congress, which would require a majority vote in the Senate.
The White House defended the decision, saying that the Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion since it was created in 1979 but has not improved student performance.
