Introduction

The Department of Education may face danger under the Trump administration. In an interview on X, Trump told Elon Musk that “I want to close up the Department of Education, move education back to the states.”

Contrary to Trump’s bold promise, it would be almost impossible to actually abolish the Department of Education. Doing so would require sixty Senate votes, and despite the now-Republican majority of the Senate, it would still be next to impossible to garner enough votes.

Although the Department of Education may remain, the future of education is still unclear as Trump enacts new policies and rolls back on old ones during his coming term as president.

What is the Department of Education?

The U.S. Department of Education was created 45 years ago, under President Jimmy Carter, with a goal to advise and assist schools and universities. In 2024, out of a total budget of $228 billion, the department spent over half on federal student aid programs, including loans and grants to assist those seeking secondary education.

Although the department is somewhat able to influence school curriculums by directing funding and creating policies, it does not have full control. States and local governments are the ones to regulate curriculum and academic standards, as well as licensing requirements for teachers.

On the other hand, one of the department’s main tasks is data collection at the Center for National Education Statistics. The data helps the department decide where it needs to allocate funding in order to achieve its goal of improving student performance. The influence that the loss of such data would bring is currently unclear, according to Nicola Alexander, an associate dean for undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota.

Trump’s Pick for Secretary of Department of Education

As if conceding that he will be unable to get rid of the Department of Education, President-elect Donald Trump has formally announced his nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of the Department of Education.

Linda McMahon is a former professional wrestling magnate, having founded the sports entertainment company Titan, Inc. with her husband. In terms of political experience, she served on the Connecticut State Board of Education from 2009-2010, though some cite that she ran on false credentials, having never received the bachelor’s degree in education that she claimed to have obtained. Later, McMahon ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Senate in 2010 and 2012. During Trump’s first term, he selected her to lead the Small Business Administration. In 2019, she retired from her position in order to be the chair of America First Action, a pro-Trump independent expenditure-only political action committee (Super PAC).

Trump’s words in his statement announcing McMahon’s nomination suggest that he intends for her to continue the work of his first Secretary of the Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, in advocating for school choice. School choice refers to programs that provide families with public funding to access schools, such as private schools, outside of local options. Proponents of school choice argue that it increases freedom for families and equalizes access to school quality. On the other hand, critics say that public funds should be reserved for schools that accommodate all students, citing the ability of private schools to “discriminate” based on factors such as disability or religion.

Trump and McMahon might also champion a bill similar to one introduced by Senator Bill Cassidy [R-LA], which would allow nonprofits to offer scholarships that allow families to pay for private school, enabling more school choice, in a roundabout way.

Furthermore, McMahon would most likely undo the Title IX protections given to transgender students, such as that “ensure that schools and colleges respond to complaints of sexual misconduct,” according to NBC. President Biden changed the government’s interpretation of Title IX through the Department of Education, rather than changing federal law, making it perfectly possible for McMahon to undo those protections. In 2017, the Trump administration similarly repealed the Obama administration’s Title IX expansion.

On the other hand, those with student loans are also in a place of uncertainty. President Biden’s main legislation regarding student loans, called Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), has been rejected by the Supreme Court, due to its price tag of around $455 billion over 10 years, by an estimate from the Wharton School of Business. Now, president-elect Trump is “actively hostile” towards the kind of student loan forgiveness Biden championed, according to NPR. Although Trump will likely undo many of the existing policies towards student-loan forgiveness, it would be difficult for him to un-forgive loans that have already been forgiven.

With Trump’s re-election, many of the changes Biden imposed during his administration will be undone. America’s educational priorities will have to be reevaluated.