After 45 years of existence, the Department of Education (ED) is coming to an end.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday dismantling ED: “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The historic order stops short of total abolition of the agency, since law dictates that Congress must be the one to close it.
The order cited historic lows of reading and math scores among children as proof of ED’s decades-long failures, and contrasted the poor educational outcomes with ED’s high budget and massive staffing.
“While the Department of Education does not educate anyone, it maintains a public relations office that includes over 80 staffers at a cost of more than $10 million per year,” said the order. “Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them.”
The order further accused ED of operating like an inefficient bank with its management of over $1.6 trillion in student loan debt.
Trump directed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to undertake measures to close ED and return authority to the states, as well as terminate funding to programs and activities engaged in progressive ideologies including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender theory.
Reactions among Arizona leadership fell largely along party lines.
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Tom Horne, praised the executive order, calling the agency an “unnecessary” entity dedicated to heaping more bureaucracy on the states.
“The Federal Department of Education was unnecessary and added bureaucracy for states,” said Horne. “Thank you President Trump for bringing education back to the states where it belongs.”
The Federal Department of Education was unnecessary and added bureaucracy for states. Thank you President @realDonaldTrump for bringing education back to the states where it belongs.
Congressional efforts to codify the executive order are also underway. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds revealed to Fox News that he’s been in discussions with Trump to do just that.
“I am working on legislation that would return education decisions to states and local school districts while maintaining important programs like special education and Title I,” said Rounds. “We are discussing this legislation with Secretary McMahon, and we believe there is a very good path forward.”
Earlier this month, the Trump administration slashed ED’s workforce by nearly half (over 1,300 staffers). Thursday’s executive order will further reduce the remaining 2,200 employees.
Although Trump’s order does not close ED totally, Mayes claimed the executive order was “illegal.”
“The Department of Education cannot be dismantled via executive order,” said Mayes. “This chaos is not about efficiency — it’s destruction.”
Another day, another illegal action by the Trump administration. The Department of Education cannot be dismantled via executive order. This chaos is not about efficiency — it’s destruction. https://t.co/GRse4zJ096
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) March 20, 2025
Governor Katie Hobbs said Arizona stands to lose $1 billion in federal funds for certain programs, like special education, with the dismantling of ED.
Arizona could lose nearly $1 billion in vital education funding if the U.S. Department of Education is dismantled. This funding supports low-income schools, special education, Tribal and rural communities, and programs like FAFSA & Pell Grants. As Governor, I will do everything…
Senator Mark Kelly rejected Republican predictions of ED’s abolition leading to better schools and student outcomes.
“It will further undermine public schools, making it harder for kids from working families like mine or who need a little extra help to get a good education,” said Kelly.
I’m the proud product of a good public school education.
Getting rid of the Department of Education won’t improve schools or help kids in Arizona get ahead.
It will further undermine public schools, making it harder for kids from working families like mine or who need a little… https://t.co/f69s11Rebo
Senator Ruben Gallego claimed Trump was abolishing ED to enrich “his billionaire friends” and reduce school funding.
“He wants fewer resources for teachers and fewer opportunities for our kids — just so his billionaire friends can get richer,” said Gallego.
Donald Trump just gave the order to dismantle the Department of Education. He wants fewer resources for teachers and fewer opportunities for our kids—just so his billionaire friends can get richer.
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) March 20, 2025
Rep. Eli Crane called the continuance of ED an “insanity,” referencing the decades-long decline of student outcomes.
“Thank you to President Trump for having the courage to do this,” said Crane.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
The Department of Education has failed our nation's students for decades. It's time to chart a new path.
Rep. Andy Biggs also touched on the disparity of high funding and low outcomes. Biggs said Trump was right to be “returning power” to Arizona and its parents.
“Taxpayer funding for public schools is at an all-time high, but test scores are at an all-time low,” said Biggs. “The radical Biden-Harris regime weaponized the Department of Education against their opponents.”
Taxpayer funding for public schools is at an all-time high, but test scores are at an all-time low.
The radical Biden-Harris regime weaponized the Department of Education against their opponents.
President Trump is rightfully returning power to the States and parents. https://t.co/Svw5fLSa9B
Rep. Yassamin Ansari predicted that children would be forced out of schools, teachers would be fired, and special education services would cease.
“This reckless and irrational move will devastate our future — all to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of our kids,” said Ansari. “We’re going to fight this illegal EO with every tool we have.”
With the support of Republicans in Congress, Donald Trump just followed through on his plan to gut the Department of Education.
This means kids kicked out of kindergarten, special education slashed, and teachers fired. This reckless and irrational move will devastate our future…
— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) March 20, 2025
Rep. Greg Stanton called the order “a direct attack on Arizona kids,” and asserted it was illegal.
Trump's executive order to eliminate the Department of Education is a direct attack on Arizona kids. pic.twitter.com/tONhDthSXr
Senate President Warren Petersen reposted remarks made by Secretary McMahon to Fox News. McMahon echoed Trump’s questioning why federal education spending only continues to increase while outcomes have decreased.
“We have to let teachers teach. I have such respect for teachers. I think it is the most noble profession in the world, and I have seen what can happen when teachers are allowed to teach and be innovative and creative in our classrooms,” said McMahon. “For every dollar that goes into the school system, it’s been reported to me that almost 47 cents of that dollar is spent on regulatory compliance. Teachers they don’t want to stay, they’re leaving the profession, because they’re bogged down by regulation. Let’s lift that burden and let them do what they do best, which is teach.”
Let the states tailor education to local communities—and get results.
Let parents choose the best educational fit for their children.
Earlier this month, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ5) introduced the Guarding Religious And Career Education (GRACE) Act. If enacted, it would direct Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to outright eliminate the DOE’s Office of Enforcement within the Office of Federal Student Aid. The office, according to a report from the American Principles Project (APP), overwhelmingly enforced actions against faith-based and career-centered schools.
According to the APP report, the vast majority of all enforcement actions, at almost 70%, were directed toward institutions of these varieties despite their accounting for less than ten percent of the total number of enrolled students in the nation.
In a press release from Rep. Biggs, the congressman cited the example of the egregious targeting of Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian university in America and the extremely questionable $37.7 million fine levied against the school as previously reported by AZ Free News.
NEW: I introduced the Guarding Religious and Career Education (GRACE) Act to combat the weaponization of the Department of Education that occurred under Joe Biden’s regime.
In a letter to McMahon, Biggs urged the newly minted Secretary to launch an investigation into the Office of Enforcement’s targeting of Christian and technical schools amidst the mass reductions in workforce already underway.
He wrote in part, “It is imperative to determine the extent of any ideological targeting and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. For example, in October 2023, ED’s Office of Enforcement fined Grand Canyon University, (GCU) $37.7 million for allegedly misrepresenting the cost of doctoral programs, an allegation GCU has categorically denied and is appealing. The claim has been refuted judicially and administratively: in federal court, by the Higher Learning Commission in its 2021 comprehensive review, and by the Arizona State Approving Agency of the Department of Veterans Affairs in an audit.”
McMahon told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that her termination of over half the Department’s staff is in fact part of a “total shutdown” of the agency. “Yes — actually, it is,” she said, adding, “That was the president’s mandate. His directive to me clearly is to shut down the Department of Education.”
In line with the actions McMahon is already taking, Biggs called upon her to shudder the Office of Enforcement altogether in the GRACE Act, writing, “The continued existence of the office appears to serve as a vehicle for weaponization rather than a tool for oversight. The targeting of Christian universities and career colleges must end.”
When President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon as the next secretary of Education, he said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families” via a statement issued on Truth Social.
During Trump’s first term, McMahon led the Small Business Administration (SBA), where she favored pragmatic pro-growth policies that emphasized merit-based job opportunities and reducing government intervention in business practices with a nod towards no forced diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
With the selection of McMahon as education secretary, states should demand this administration make true educational freedom attainable, protect our female athletes by returning “girls only” to their sports teams and hold our public schools accountable against child predators.
States like Arizona eagerly await this changing of the guard to truly help protect women. While an enraged Michelle Obama spewed hate-filled propaganda in the last few weeks leading up to the November election by suggesting “women will become collateral damage” if Trump was to return to the White House, thankfully, voters did not buy that.
McMahon understands the importance of bringing education back to the states where it belongs and into the hands of parents, not government bureaucrats relying on zip codes to fill school buildings. While McMahon led the America First Works (AFW), the organization’s main goal was to achieve universal school choice across the country. Over the last several years, the school-choice movement has seen a dozen states achieve this status, but it cannot stop there. McMahon’s leadership role at the helm of AFW illustrates that she adamantly supports competition among our schools, including charter schools, private-school tuition scholarships, education savings accounts and homeschooling. Above all, McMahon believes supporting all educational options will lead to better outcomes for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
McMahon’s appointment couldn’t have come at a better time. Future Secretary McMahon could halt the Biden administration’s attack on women by rolling back its faulty rulemaking that was forcing publicly funded schools to allow transgender men to participate in women’s only sports by threatening to defund their Title IX funding if they refused. Hopefully, this war on women can end on Trump’s first day back in the White House. Women’s only sports face near extinction if we don’t prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports. It is truly unfair for biological girls to have to compete with biological males in sports. Not only do males have bigger muscles than females, but males have the advantage of testosterone that no amount of training or talent can enable biological female athletes to overcome.
Safety in our sports is not the only area this next administration needs to lead. All children should feel safe on their school’s campus. Sexual abuse cases in our public schools continue to generate headlines. Even though teachers and school-district employees are mandatory reporters, they don’t always appropriately record allegations of sexual abuse.
The Trump administration needs to step up in protecting the safety of our kids by requiring all public-school districts and charter-school districts to record all sexual abuse allegations and share these written reports with its state education department. The Department of Education should centrally house a database documenting sexual abuse allegations in our schools so that when district and charter schools are conducting background checks on future employees, they can consult this much needed resource. The teachers’ unions will push back against this proposal. We should all agree, all students should be free from predators, especially in their individual learning environments. Each year public schools report their campuses’ crime data to the Office of Civil Rights under the Department of Education. Schools should be committed to keeping our kids safe and want to be held accountable by reporting any sexual abuse allegations.
Shawnna Bolick is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation and has served in the Arizona Legislature since 2019. She served four years in the Arizona House until 2022. In July 2023, she was appointed to the State Senate, District 2, to fill a vacancy. Bolick has signed onto an amicus brief supporting both Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and Arizona’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. She has sponsored or cosponsored legislation pertaining to weeding out sexual predators in our public schools.
