Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education: Here’s What’s at Stake
The Trump administration’s latest target is the U.S. Department of Education. Through a new executive order, the administration has taken the first formal steps toward dismantling the agency entirely, a long-standing goal of the American far right. On paper, this is about “reducing federal overreach.” In reality, it’s about stripping away the federal government’s role in guaranteeing access to education, especially for students who are already pushed to the margins.
Established in 1979, the Department of Education is responsible for administering federal student aid, enforcing civil rights laws in schools, collecting national education data, and distributing critical funding to schools in under-resourced communities. Without it, responsibilities would shift to individual states, many of which have already proven unwilling to uphold equitable education policies, particularly those that support students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, and communities of color. Removing the Department does not mean education becomes more “local.” It means the federal government steps back from ensuring equal opportunity for all students.
Trump’s proposed budget cuts are already a preview of what’s to come. Title I funding, which supports schools with high percentages of students from low-income families, is on the chopping block. So are programs for English learners, students with disabilities, and community schools that offer wraparound services. The message is clear: if you don’t come from wealth or privilege, you’re not a priority.
The executive order also threatens student borrowers. Right now, the Department oversees over $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. Dismantling the agency could shift oversight to the Treasury Department — an institution with no existing infrastructure for servicing borrowers and little transparency. According to reporting from NBC, the administration has offered no clear plan for how it would handle student aid, only vague promises to “streamline” a system that millions depend on.
And there’s an even deeper concern: civil rights enforcement. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights plays a vital role in investigating discrimination in schools, including sexual harassment under Title IX, racial disparities in discipline, and barriers to access for students with disabilities. Eliminating the Department would all but erase this federal oversight. As the Associated Press reports, Trump’s team has made no commitments to preserving these protections.
These policy changes do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a broader political project, one that seeks to defund public institutions, reassert local control in unequal systems, and make it harder for low income, working-class, and marginalized students to access opportunity.
The consequences of this shift would fall hardest on those already underserved: students of color in underfunded schools, disabled students in need of accommodations, young people navigating anti-LGBTQ+ school environments, and the millions of borrowers trying to make sense of an already-complicated loan system.
The administration’s attempt to dismantle the Department is more than a policy debate. It’s a reflection of what kind of future is being imagined, and for whom. Without strong federal safeguards, the gap between who has access to education and who does not will only grow wider. And those of us who believe education is a public good, not a private privilege, have a responsibility to push back.
