The White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education

The White House is drafting an executive order to dissolve the Department of Education, two sources familiar with the plan told NBC News.

President Donald Trump cannot abolish a federal agency on his own—Congress must approve any such action.

The proposal aligns with Trump’s long-standing campaign pledge to eliminate the Department of Education, which was established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter.

In September 2023, then-candidate Trump shared a video on social media promising that, early in his administration, he would shut down the Education Department and return control of education to individual states.

“One of the first things I’ll do is close up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and send all education-related work and responsibilities back to the states,” Trump said in the video.

He criticized the current state of public education, saying, “America spends more than $1 trillion a year on public education, yet instead of leading the world, we’re stuck at the bottom.”

The push to eliminate the department was formally added to the Republican Party platform last summer and is a key initiative promoted by Project 2025, a conservative policy plan.

According to the department, its programs serve over 50 million students in about 98,000 public schools and 32,000 private schools. It also provides grants, loans, and work-study support to more than 12 million college students annually.

Criticism of the Plan
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association (NEA), warned that Trump’s proposed order would harm students—particularly those in vulnerable communities.

“If it became reality, Trump’s power grab would strip resources from our most vulnerable students, increase class sizes, slash job training programs, make higher education even more expensive, eliminate special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections,” Pringle said. “Americans didn’t vote for this and do not support abandoning the federal government’s responsibility to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.”

Republican History of Opposition
Opposition to the Department of Education among Republicans began shortly after it was created, with President Ronald Reagan calling for its dismantling. Despite several attempts, Congress has never passed legislation to abolish the department.

In January, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and David Rouzer (R-N.C.) introduced bills to eliminate the department. Massie’s bill has 27 Republican co-sponsors. Meanwhile, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) plans to reintroduce similar legislation in the Senate.

Although Republicans control both chambers of Congress, the effort to eliminate the department would face significant hurdles in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster. Achieving that would require Democratic support, making it unlikely to pass.

Trump Expands School Choice
Last week, Trump signed an executive order directing the Education Department to issue guidance within 60 days on how states can use federal funds to expand school choice programs.

School choice has been a long-standing priority for the GOP. In recent years, several Republican-led states have increased funding for school choice programs, allowing low-income families to send their children to private or charter schools.