U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to dissolve the Education Department has sparked widespread opposition from scholars, lawmakers, and advocacy groups, who argue it lacks constitutional support, risks disrupting vital student programs, and threatens critical federal research funding.
On Thursday, Trump signed an order instructing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take "all necessary measures" to close the federal agency and transfer its responsibilities to individual states.
The move was quickly condemned by academic leaders and public school advocates, who warned of the negative consequences for education funding, equity, and oversight.
Derek Briggs, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder's School of Education, explained that public opinion is strongly opposed to disbanding the department. He pointed out that the U.S. Constitution does not grant the executive branch the power to unilaterally dissolve a federal agency established by Congress.
"In the sense that it would require a veto-proof majority in the Senate, so that would require 60 votes in the Senate. So, it would require essentially at least seven Democrats to go along with all Republicans to support the disbanding of the Department of Education," Briggs explained.
Briggs emphasized that the proposal is highly unlikely to gain sufficient support, and will likely face increasing scrutiny as the debate over its broader social impact intensifies.
"I think that's pretty unlikely politically. I think it's highly unlikely that seven Democrats would go along. They seem pretty unified in opposition to this. As I said before, it's already been shown that politically, this is a very unpopular move in the sense that public sentiment doesn't support it. All the way down the line, I think a lot of groups are likely to protest if this goes further," Briggs added.
While Trump has pledged to "fully preserve" programs for low-income, disabled, and special needs students, his administration's decision to lay off half the Department of Education's staff has already sparked legal action. On March 13, 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit over the layoffs.
Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, described the move as "outrageous," "reckless," and "illegal," arguing that it would disproportionately affect low-income and disabled students who rely on federal funding.
Critics warn that dismantling the department would jeopardize services such as student loans for millions of college students and erode federal oversight of education. Trump's cuts to higher education and research funding have already caused concern among universities, who say it has had a ripple effect across the academic sector.
"We're very impacted and almost all of our major university organizations have written about the danger of cutting off funding, especially if you have a grant from the National Institute of Health. We've made so much progress in developing drugs to fight or prevent disease, and it's been a partnership between the federal government and big research universities. So, anything that threatens that really threatens lives," said Jane Conoley, president of California State University, Long Beach.
The executive order has also faced fierce opposition from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it one of Trump's "most destructive" actions, warning that it would harm education quality across the U.S. Senator Patty Murray accused the president of trying to "destroy public education in America."
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, stated that Trump's order would severely impact programs for all students, including larger class sizes, cuts to job training programs, higher tuition costs, and weakened special education and civil rights protections.
The Associated Press also highlighted concerns from public school advocates, who fear the decision will "potentially entrench inequality" by removing federal oversight. Legal experts and media analysts have pointed out that this move is likely to face significant legal challenges in the coming months.
Trump's push to dismantle education department faces backlash
Trump's push to dismantle education department faces backlash
