What Happens if the Department of Education Goes Away?

IN MARCH, PRESIDENT Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to essentially abolish the department she runs.

- Emma Camp

“Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them,” reads Trump's order. “Ultimately, the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the States.”

Actually killing the department requires congressional approval. McMahon has, though, moved to at least shrink it. Shortly before Trump signed the executive order, she cut its staff in half following almost 2,000 layoffs and buyouts. “This isa significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system,” McMahon said ina March press release.

While McMahon can't erase the Education Department on her own, Congress could step in and administer a coup de grâce. What that would look like isn’t exactly clear. The department directs a wide range of federal programs and commanded a budget of more than $200 billion last year. It administers the behemoth federal student loan program, enforces federal law in education, and gives grants to public K-12 schools and universities, not to mention running a battery of smaller programs.