Donald Trump has long threatened to dismantle the Department of Education, a move that aligns with Republican calls for shrinking the federal government. His claims that the department promotes “woke” ideology and wastes taxpayer money may resonate with his supporters, but they ignore the reality of what the DOE actually does. From funding low-income schools to protecting students with disabilities, the department plays a critical role in ensuring educational access for millions of Americans. So, what would really happen if Trump followed through on his promise?
Dismantling the Department of Education has been a Republican talking point since it was established in 1980. Current attacks at the department imply that it has control over public school curriculum, which is blatantly untrue. That power is left to states and local school districts. Other complaints against the department include the usual rallies by Republicans against governmental organizations: it is inefficient and takes up unnecessary government money and resources. However, this is also an exaggeration, as BBC reports that the department employs only “4,400 employees, the smallest of any cabinet-level department” and is allocated only “238 billion” dollars, “less than 2% of the federal budget.”
While dismantling the department won’t change school curricula or significantly cut the federal budget, this act will cause a great deal of damage, most of which will affect low-income and disadvantaged students. One of the DOE’s core responsibilities is to administer Title I, a program that funds schools with large percentages of low-income students. Title I pays for a litany of resources: teachers, counselors, mental health programs, textbooks, and other classroom materials. Low-income students also rely on federal student aid, such as the Pell Grant, which is also managed by the DOE. Dismantling the department would only serve to widen the current educational gap between rich and poor students.
Low-income students aren’t the only ones who would be hurt by the president’s plans. The DOE also administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also known as IDEA. The Century Foundation states that IDEA ensures disabled students “receive the educational support and services they require,” providing funding for specialized teachers and equipment and protecting them against discrimination. Not only does the DOE help disabled students, but it also includes the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces civil rights laws that protect students from discrimination on the basis of race, immigration status, sex, religion, and other protected labels. Without the DOE, disabled and disadvantaged students would be left without protections or support.
Trump’s promises to gut the department would not only be devastating to disadvantaged students but would also be unlawful if he attempted to do so without congressional approval. Luckily, such total dismantling of the agency is highly unlikely to pass, especially in the Senate. The requisite sixty votes would require seven Democrats to support the bill, and as Ana Faguy from BBC writes, “[t]here’s zero chance of that.” However, dismantling the department entirely is not the only way to cripple it. In recent days the president has been impounding funding to various government agencies and firing large numbers of civil servants. Although the constitutionality of these actions is not clear-cut, little has been done to truly prevent them. The same could be done to the DOE, with striking impacts.
Eliminating the DOE wouldn’t just be a political stunt; it would be a direct attack on students, especially the most vulnerable. As former Education Secretaries Arne Duncan and John King warn, gutting the department would put America at risk, widening educational gaps and weakening the country’s future workforce. Instead of tearing down public education, leaders should focus on strengthening it because Americans deserve better.
