President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dissolving the Department of Education, Fox News reported. This is yet another campaign promise fulfilled as Trump said the department was overrun with "radicals, zealots and Marxists."
Democrats are beside themselves about the possibility that Trump will "turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies," as the White House fact sheet stated about the move. It explained that "the agency has failed American students."
Journalist Christopher Rufo shared an invitation to X, formerly Twitter, for a ceremonial signing at 4 p.m. on Thursday. "This is the culmination of a long campaign. Republicans have promised to abolish the Department of Education for almost fifty years, but only President Trump is getting it done. An incredible moment in history," Rufo wrote.
This is the culmination of a long campaign. Republicans have promised to abolish the Department of Education for almost fifty years, but only President Trump is getting it done. An incredible moment in history. pic.twitter.com/AHUYemueKx
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 20, 2025
The Department of Education has been an abject failure and the test scores prove it. Even in the past two years alone, there has been no improvement in math for eighth graders and a two-point loss in reading scores for fourth and eighth graders.
"NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores reveal a national crisis — our children are falling behind. Over the past four years, Democrats have allowed millions of illegal minors into the country, straining school resources and diverting focus from American students," White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said to Fox News.
"Coupled with the rise of anti-American CRT and DEI indoctrination, this is harming our most vulnerable. President Trump's executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students," Fields added.
Trump wants to return the responsibility to the states and to parents. "I want every parent in America to be empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice," Trump said.
"The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right," Trump added.
The Department of Education has been around since 1980 and has demonstrably made things worse despite spending copious amounts of taxpayer money. In fiscal year 2024, the agency's budget was $79.1 billion as students were learning less.
Still, the left is protective over every government bureaucracy that funnels taxpayer dollars its way. Predictably, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and current vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, railed against Trump's move, according to The Hill.
"We should be focused on helping our kids with math and reading — the basics they need to succeed. Absolutely no one is asking for three out-of-touch billionaires to rip apart the Department of Education over some deranged far-right culture war," Murray said.
"In taking a wrecking ball to the department, Trump is making it harder for students to get help getting financial aid, jeopardizing the funding schools and families count on every day, and making it easier for predatory businesses to rip students off," she charged. Of course, the assumption is that the government is entirely above board and benevolent.
Although Trump may ultimately need Congress to abolish the Department of Education, his resolve to do something about it is commendable. It's time the people and those they elect hold these institutions accountable, even if it means their destruction.
