Potential implications if the Education Department is shut down.
The Trump administration's plan to dismantle and diminish the Department of Education has led to significant changes in the education sector. This plan has resulted in staffing reductions, interruption of federal education programs, and a push to shift education control back to the states.
Key effects include:
- Mass layoffs: After the Supreme Court cleared the way, the administration laid off nearly 1,400 Department of Education employees, substantially reducing the department's workforce and operational capacity.
- Shift of authority to states: The administration emphasized returning education functions from the federal level to state governments, reducing the federal role in managing student loans, enforcing civil rights in education, and administering funds.
- Reduced federal funding and program cuts: Discretionary funding for educational research was drastically cut, grants supporting critical research and service programs were frozen, and controversial measures rolled back diversity and civil rights protections tied to education.
- Adverse impact on vulnerable students: Education advocates warn that these actions disproportionately harm students in low-income communities and students with disabilities by weakening federal supports and enforcement.
- Limitation on full dismantlement: While the administration pushed for dismantling the department, complete closure requires Congressional approval, so the process is constrained in that respect.
If there is no Education Department, student loan oversight and debt collection could shift to the Treasury Department. Student debt won't disappear even if the Education Department does, as the federal agency contracts with loan servicers that manage nearly $2 trillion in student loan debt and oversees programs that can lead to loans being forgiven. Deleting the agency would not undo federal law providing money for students in rural places, with disabilities or who come from low-income families.
The president has floated the idea that student loan management could move to the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department or the Small Business Administration. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, confirmed as education secretary in March, described her role as guiding the department through its "final mission." On July 14, 2025, McMahon announced that she would move ahead with deep staffing cuts at the Department of Education, following a Supreme Court order clearing the way for the termination of more than 1,000 of its workers.
[1] "Trump administration moves to dismantle the Department of Education." The Washington Post, 2025. [2] "The Trump administration's education policies harm marginalized student populations." Education Week, 2025. [3] "The Supreme Court clears the way for mass layoffs at the Department of Education." The New York Times, 2025. [4] "The Trump administration cuts funding to the Department of Education." The Hill, 2025. [5] "Education advocates warn of the adverse impact on vulnerable students from the Trump administration's education policies." The Brookings Institution, 2025.
- The Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Department of Education has caused a significant shift in the education sector, leading to mass layoffs of nearly 1,400 employees.
- The administration's move has also resulted in a shift of authority from the federal level to state governments, with the possible transfer of student loan management to departments like the Treasury, Commerce, or Small Business Administration.
- Despite the dismantling of the Department of Education, student debt remains a concern, with the federal agency still contracting with loan servicers managing nearly $2 trillion in student loan debt.
- Education advocates contend that the Trump administration's policies disproportionately harm marginalized student populations, including those in low-income communities and students with special needs.
- The proposed shifts in policy and legislation, if fully implemented, could lead to innovation in educational practices, such as the expansion of charter schools and community schools.
- The debate over education policy and the role of the federal government in education continues to be a prominent issue in general news, war-and-conflicts, and politics, as the fate of the Department of Education hangs in the balance.
