Donald Trump wants to smash the Ministry of Education-by decree

US President Donald Trump has signed a decree to destroy the Ministry of Education. It was the beginning of his endeavor to eliminate the department “once and for all”, said the Republican during a ceremony in the White House. In the decree, Education Minister Linda McMahon instructs to take all the necessary steps to reduce the functions of the ministry to a minimum. In order to completely abolish the department, the consent of the congress would be necessary.

The Ministry should only have minimal functions such as the allocation of scholarships and certain financial aid, the spokeswoman for the White House, Karoline Leavitt, had previously explained. Trump now said that corresponding programs should be distributed to other authorities and that they would take care of it. “He saves America’s children with this,” said Trump spokeswoman Leavitt to the conservative news channel Fox News. “The Ministry of Education never trained a child. It only stole money from the taxpayers.”

Actually, the Ministry of Education, founded in 1979, can only be abolished by the congress. The opposition Democrats can prevent this with their blocking minority in the Senate. Trump and his advisor Elon Musk responsible for the drastic reduction of the state apparatus can collect and hollow ministries and authorities in such a way that they are no longer functional.

Minister of Education McMahon had already ordered the dismissal of almost half of the around 4100 employees of the ministry last week. The former boss of the wrestling organizer WWE described it as her task to make herself unemployed-that is, to make up for the ministry. At the same time, she admitted that cooperation with the congress was necessary.

Trump had already announced in the election campaign that he would abolish the Ministry of Education in the event of an election victory, as has long been demanding conservative and especially conservative Christians. Schools have been a place in the United States for decades where cultural struggles between liberals and conservatives are held. Conservatives want the government in Washington to stick to school education.

Traditionally, the US government only has a limited influence on education. Only about 13 percent of the funds for primary and secondary schools come from federal funds, the rest is financed by the states and communities. However, the federal funds are existentially important for schools with a low budget and for pupils with special needs. The US government also plays an important role in enforcing the civil rights of students in disputes.

Teachers and the Democrats of ex-President Joe Biden now criticized Trump’s approach to the Ministry of Education sharply. “Education is the future of our country,” wrote the head of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, on the online platform X. “Mr. President, see you in court.”

The democratic senator Tina Smith wrote on X to Trump: “You cannot close the Ministry of Education – and you know.” The influential rights of Heritage Foundation, on the other hand, spoke of a “beautiful day to disassemble the Ministry of Education”.

Trump has started reducing the state apparatus and releasing thousands of official employees (Read more here). The development aid agency USAID initially got a target. The approach of Trump and the government department for state efficiency (Doge) led by Musk is extremely controversial and repeatedly encounters legal hurdles.