Sarah Richards|Marlin Chronicle
President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to remove the Department of Education (DE) from D.C.. In a video posted on YouTube by Forbes Breaking News on Sep. 13, 2023, Trump explained his plan for education in the United States.
He said, “one […] thing I will be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington D.C. and sending all education and education work and needs back to the states.”
“We spend more money per pupil by 3 times than any other nation and yet we’re absolutely at the bottom. We’re the worst,” Trump said.
The 2025 Presidential Transition Project, “the effort of a broad coalition of conservative organizations that have come together to ensure a successful administration begins in January 2025,” has a plan in line with Trump’s, according to its website.
As stated on the project’s website, one of the goals is to, “Improve education by moving control and funding of education from DC bureaucrats directly to parents and state and local governments.”
“[I]t is unlikely that this will come to fruition,” Beth Koroleski, director of Financial Aid, said. An article posted to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities website on Dec. 6, 2024 agreed with this statement.
The article, “Bill to Abolish Department of Education Is Unlikely to Pass,” mentioned the Returning Education to Our States Act, a bill introduced by the United States Senator Mike Rounds. This act, if passed, would fulfill Trump’s plan.
While “odds are against passage of the legislation, even when Republicans take control of Congress in January,” if it were passed, the responsibilities of the DE would be transferred to other agencies, according to the article.
“[D]espite formal elimination of the Department, the bill would ensure that many of the agency’s functions and programs would continue,” the article said.
The reason that it is unlikely for the bill to pass, according to the article, is due to unclear support among Republicans, and “the GOP has just a slim 3-seat majority in the new Congress.”
Currently, according to the DE website, its mission is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
Additionally, “Department programs also provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to more than 12 million postsecondary students.”
As said on the website, the DE’s responsibilities have increased while it has the smallest staff of Cabinet agencies and third largest budget. “In addition, the Department provides over $150 billion in new and consolidated loans annually,” according to the website.
Addressing what dismantling the DE would mean for higher education in a Inside Higher Ed article, Katherine Knott said, “critics warn that dismantling the Education Department could make it more difficult for students to access federal financial aid, imperil institutions that rely on federal money and make higher education a riskier bet, though that’s a worst-case scenario.”
“Of the many questions and logistics to figure out with breaking up the Education Department, one key issue stands out: What to do with the $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio and the broader federal student loan program,” Knott said.
Knott explained that Project 2025, among other proposals, suggest that the Treasury Department should assume the responsibility of student loans because it already handles money and lending.
“But critics question why Treasury is more suited to managing the student loan program than Federal Student Aid and whether the agency has the capacity to take on the program,” Knott said.
“To what extent moving Federal Student Aid to the Treasury Department would affect students is unclear,” Knott said.
In the Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2025, it is said that “the […] DE is responsible for assisting States, school districts, and institutions of higher education in providing a high-quality education to all students and addressing the inequitable barriers underserved students face in education.”
Additionally, “The Budget requests $82 billion in discretionary funding for DE in 2025, a $3.1 billion or 3.9-percent increase from the 2023 level.”
The budget contains a section for “Education Beyond High School,” which details the budget for specific plans. Included among other plans in the list is “Improves College Affordability and Provides Free Community College,” “Invests in Services for Student Borrowers,” “Reduces College Costs for Students,” “Eliminates the Origination Fee on Student Loans” and “Supports Students through Graduation.”
One point made in these plans includes increasing the maximum amount awarded for the Pell Grant by $100 and reaching at least 7.2 million more students. Also, “The Budget provides $2.7 billion for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), a $625 million increase above the 2023 enacted level,” which would benefit the administration of programs such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the budget.
By Isaac Fick
