Dismantling the Education Department was always high on Trump's list. He talked about it repeatedly during his campaign, often to cheers from his supporters, including the conservative group Moms for Liberty.
But despite telegraphing his goals, Trump's executive order was a stunner. Margaret Spellings, education secretary under Bush, said she was indeed surprised he was following through on his campaign vow.
For years, Spellings said, talk of about eliminating the department was a way for Republicans to signal their adherence to party orthodoxy, even as they voted to send billions of dollars to support its mission. Much of that money ended up at schools in their own districts, funding extra teachers for example. As recently as 2023, 60 House Republicans voted against a bill to close the department.
“It was always a little bit of a wink and a nod deal," Spellings said. "Donald Trump has called the bluff.”
Trump, in remarks at the White House, said: “People have wanted to do this for many, many years, for many, many decades. And I don’t know, no president ever got around to doing it. But I’m getting around to doing it.”
He held the executive order up for photos while standing next to Education Secretary Linda McMahon. He's joked that he’ll need to find another job for her once her department is gone.
The executive order is likely to get mired in legal challenges, and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle said closing the department can't move forward without their approval. But Trump, through the Department of Government Efficiency, has already shrunk the department's imprint, moving to eliminate about half of its staff.
Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, was in the White House audience and was recognized by Trump in his remarks. She said the department allowed teacher unions to exert undue influence over schools, a problem that became more apparent while schools were closed and students were learning over Zoom.
“The American people woke up and recognized the fact there were a lot of people that were making decisions that were not in the best interest of their children,” she said.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who as a young lawmaker voted for the 1979 bill to create the department, praised Trump’s move and argued the agency has not accomplished its original mission.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Gingrich said of backing Democratic President Jimmy Carter, his fellow Georgian, in a 215-201 vote.
Two generations later, Gingrich argued, “If you take what the scores were then and how much we were spending on education then and compare it now, it’s impossible to escape the reality that it’s been an abject failure.”
