President Donald Trump has long vowed to eliminate or at least vastly downsize the Department of Education, saying we should “shut [it] down” and “move education back to the states where it belongs.”
On Tuesday, the administration made moves to accomplish just that. Officials announced that they’re moving authority over key programs from the ED to other departments:
The Department of Justice will take on enforcement of civil rights in education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education, administration officials announced. With those moves, the Education Department has now carved away the vast majority of its functions for other agencies to handle.
The two Education Department offices involved — the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office for Civil Rights — defend the rights of children with disabilities and those who experience discrimination based on race, sex or religion.
The Justice Department is proud to partner with @usedgov on civil rights enforcement, student privacy protection, and training and advisory services to support students and families.
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 16, 2026
Together, we are advancing a national commitment to ensuring every student is treated with… pic.twitter.com/9oeQolRGoc
The Justice Department is proud to partner with @usedgov on civil rights enforcement, student privacy protection, and training and advisory services to support students and families.
Together, we are advancing a national commitment to ensuring every student is treated with dignity and has an equal opportunity to succeed both in the classroom and on the court or field.
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If the president had his druthers, he’d nuke the department altogether, but he can’t do that without an act of Congress — so he’s done the next best thing. He’s been actively downsizing the ED and moving core functions to other agencies, just like he’s doing here. The administration’s reasoning is simple: “The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has spent more than $3 trillion on the federal education bureaucracy since 1980 – with dismal results.”
Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon weighed in on the move in a statement. We don’t need more micromanagement, she argued:
The Trump Administration has been clear: as we scale back federal micromanagement when it hinders success, we are equally committed to bolstering the efficacy of federal oversight where it is essential.
She also posted to X on Tuesday:
Parents: I've heard you.
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) June 16, 2026
Our four new partnerships, including to protect special education services and bolster civil rights enforcement, provides us with the best opportunity to address the very things you've told me need to be fixed. pic.twitter.com/mLEZSNbSuC
When a teachers' union boss complains about a policy, that almost inevitably means the policy is the right one:
Rachel Gittleman, president of the union that represents department employees, said the moves will create chaos for families, students and schools.
“This will leave our most vulnerable students and families who have been shut out of our education system without the services they need and without protection when they face discrimination,” Gittleman said in a written statement.
No, it will free them from your indoctrination.
The ED has failed in its mission, and under former President Joe Biden, it became a tool to spread woke indoctrination — such as DEI and men in women’s sports — and a fount of student loan fraud.
It’s time for the clean-up.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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