The Trump administration has transferred 118 federal education programs to other agencies in what amounts to the most significant step yet toward completely dismantling the Department of Education—a move that promises to restore local control but raises serious questions about whether Washington’s bureaucratic shuffle will actually improve outcomes for American children.
Story Snapshot
- Trump administration transferred 118 education programs to other federal agencies through nine interagency agreements, marking the largest dismantling step since the March 2025 executive order
- Department of Education workforce slashed by nearly 50 percent, leaving approximately 2,000 employees to oversee education for over 50 million students
- Administration revoked $900 million in education research contracts and gutted civil rights enforcement while threatening to withhold funds from states with DEI programs
- Congress retains ultimate authority to fully eliminate the department, creating uncertainty about implementation despite executive actions
Historic Campaign Promise Meets Political Reality
President Trump signed the executive order “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities” in March 2025, directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to systematically shrink and ultimately eliminate the department established in 1979. Trump characterized this as “a historic action that was 45 years in the making,” fulfilling a conservative policy objective that predates his political career. The administration acknowledges only Congress can fully eliminate the department, yet proceeded with aggressive executive actions that fundamentally restructured federal education oversight without legislative approval.
Massive Workforce Reduction Cripples Federal Oversight
The Department of Education fired nearly half its workforce following the executive order, reducing staff to approximately 2,000 employees responsible for overseeing education programs serving over 50 million school-aged children and 18.4 million postsecondary students. This dramatic reduction severely diminishes federal capacity to enforce civil rights protections, maintain national education data collection, and hold states accountable for student performance. Secretary McMahon stated that shrinking the department represents its “final mission,” signaling the administration’s intent to operate with minimal federal education infrastructure regardless of congressional action.
Program Transfers and Policy Overhaul
As of March 2026, the administration struck nine interagency agreements transferring 118 programs from the Department of Education to other federal agencies. The administration launched aggressive campaigns against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in schools, revoked nearly $900 million in education research contracts covering school safety and disability education, and dismantled student loan forgiveness programs for teachers, firefighters, and librarians. The administration proposed rules lowering federal student loan caps for education, nursing, and social work degrees while gutting the Office for Civil Rights and encouraging states to submit waivers avoiding federal accountability requirements.
Funding Battles Expose Congressional Resistance
The administration’s attempt to withhold nearly $7 billion in appropriated federal funds during summer 2025 created immediate panic among superintendents nationwide about cutting academic programs and eliminating staff positions. Political pressure forced reversal, though new conditions were attached to released funds. The House Appropriations Committee’s 2026 budget proposed reducing Title I funding for disadvantaged students by 27 percent, which Congress comprehensively rejected. This congressional resistance demonstrates that despite Republican control of both chambers, eliminating the department requires legislative approval that remains uncertain given concerns about implementation and impacts on vulnerable student populations.
The best news ever, out of DC! Department of Education under Trump just took its 'largest' step closer to shutting downhttps://t.co/V9BNYKfH2U
— Conservative Hawkeye (@JCfromKS) March 24, 2026
Education Week analysis noted that while the administration has taken significant dismantling steps, “panicked headlines can offer an exaggerated sense of what’s going on,” pointing to Congress’s rejection of proposed Title I cuts as evidence that federal education spending retains legislative protection. However, the practical impact of workforce reductions and program transfers already affects millions of students, particularly those with disabilities facing reduced oversight and disadvantaged students losing targeted Title I protections. The administration’s ability to preserve critical functions through interagency transfers remains unproven, creating uncertainty for schools and states about how transferred programs will be administered.
Sources:
Trump Signs Order Gutting Department of Education – ABC News
The Trump Administration Has Mostly Dismantled the Ed. Dept. Should You Care? – Education Week
Plan to Abolish Education Department, One Year Later – National Education Association
Trump and Education Department Using Federal Power – Chalkbeat
Trump Administration Begins to Send ED Employees to DOL – NASFAA
Federal Funding Disruptions for Schools Are Far From Over – Education Week
