Why does Trump dismantle the education department – and what follows? | News of the courts
United States President Donald Trump signed an executive command on Thursday To decorate the Department of Education in the Land in an effort to fulfill the controversial promise of the campaign.
The department has long been covered by conservatives who claim that education should remain under state control and that the department is polluted by liberal ideas.
Constitutional challenges stand in the path of a smooth presentation of Trump’s order. Here’s all we know:
What is the education department doing?
The Department is a Government-level agency that oversees the US national educational policy. He was founded in 1979 by Congress and was encouraged by former Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
The department distributes federal loans and help for education, including Pell Grant who uses low -income students; collects data on the US education system; Identifies questions in the system; and implements the Federal Laws on Education relating to non -discrimination and civil rights.
Even before Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, his administration led to exhaustion to the agency.
Before Trump opened, the department had 4,133 workers. From his inauguration, the staff almost halved with 600 employees who accepted the voluntary resignation, while the others were put on administrative leave. From March 11, there were approximately 2,183 workers in the ward.
Job reduction happens together with a wider reduction of labor in the federal government led by Elon Musk and his Government Efficiency Department (Doge).
What does the executive command say?
The command is called “improvement of education results by empowering parents, states and communities.” He calls in the long run Trump’s ally, secretary for education Linda McMahon, to facilitate the closure of the department.
The command says that closing the department would give children and their parents the opportunity to escape the “system that fails”.
“The Federal Bureaucracy of Education does not work,” the order said, citing 2024. The data showed that 70 percent of 8th grade was below reading experience, and 72 percent were known in mathematics.
How do students perform in the US?
The NaEP 2024 report shows that there has no significant change in the way students have achieved reading and mathematics since 2022.
But beyond, NAEP data show that from the early 1970s, the average reading results for eighth grade reads did not significantly increased or decreased. Since 1973. The average math results have been constantly increasing until 2012, after which they saw a slight decline and constantly decreased before they picked up a little in 2024.
According to the Better Life Index, created by the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD) and published in 2020, the US took 8th place of 41 countries in terms of educational achievement. However, in terms of student skills, he now took 19th place. In addition, an average student in the US has passed above the average OECD reading, literacy, mathematics and science.
In mathematics, they have now taken 28th place from 37 OECD countries 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. In science, now the same year they took 12th place.
What do Americans want?
According to a public opinion survey in 2024, conducted by national non -profit all4ed, 58 percent of respondents did not want the Ministry of Education through party lines.
“This is a political theater, not serious public policy,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the non -profit higher education organization, the US Council for Education, in response to Trump’s command.
“Administration and Congress should focus on improving the important work that the department performs that uses ordinary Americans, not a unilateral and reckless reduction of the department’s workforce and ability to serve Americans,” Mitchell said on Thursday.
What will happen to student loans?
According to Trump’s executive command, loans and scholarships will continue to be delivered.
The department is the largest source of loans for American students. The outstanding Saldo Loan in the United States is $ 1.69 trillion for nearly $ 43 million.
The command says that “efficient and continuous provision of services, programs and benefits that Americans rely on” will be ensured. “
Trump said on Thursday that these services “will be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will be very good about them.”
Although it is unclear how this redistribution will take place, Trump said that the states would take over most of the departments functions.
What is next?
Trump’s command cannot appear without the approval of the Congress, because only the legislative authority has a discretionary right to close the department at the Government level.
Some members of the Congress stepped forward, saying they would support Trump’s move.
“I agree with President Trump that the Ministry of Education missed its mission,” said Republican senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in a statement.
“Because the department can only be excluded with the approval of the Congress, I will support the president’s goals by submitting the law that will achieve this as soon as possible.”
However, Trump may not be easy to get the approval of the congress.
If the legislation is introduced, 60 Senate members with 100 seats will have to vote to turn off the department. Only 53 senators are Republican, which is missing from the required majority.
2023. The House of Representatives voted to close the agency. This move was opposed not only by Democrats, but also 60 Republicans. The house currently has 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats.
