Trump Moves Ahead with Education Department Dismantling \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The Supreme Court has allowed President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to proceed with dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Major functions, including student loans and civil rights enforcement, are being transferred to other federal agencies. Critics warn the cuts will harm vulnerable students and weaken oversight of civil rights and financial aid.
Quick Looks
- Supreme Court lifted injunction blocking nearly 1,400 Education Department layoffs.
- Trump and McMahon now free to shift key functions to other agencies.
- Federal student loans likely moving to Treasury; $2.6B in workforce grants shifted to Labor.
- Enforcement of special education laws may go to HHS; civil rights work possibly to DOJ.
- Critics warn of chaos in federal aid systems, including delays and outages.
- Advocacy groups vow to continue legal challenges against the restructuring.
- Downsizing aligns with Trump’s long-standing campaign promise to close the department.
Deep Look
In a dramatic escalation of his second-term agenda, President Donald Trump is moving forward with plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, a key 2024 campaign promise, after the Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for a sweeping downsizing of the agency. The justices issued an emergency order pausing a lower court ruling that had blocked nearly 1,400 layoffs and questioned the legality of Trump’s plan to outsource core Education Department functions to other federal agencies.
With the injunction lifted, Education Secretary Linda McMahon—tasked with leading the department’s dissolution—now has full authority to proceed with layoffs and operational transfers. Trump, who has long argued that education should be governed by states rather than Washington, called the move a “victory for the people.”
“The Federal Government has been running our Education System into the ground,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Monday. “But we are going to turn it all around by giving the Power back to the PEOPLE. Thank you to the United States Supreme Court!”
The administration maintains that while only Congress can formally eliminate the department, there is no legal barrier to redistributing its programs and staff to other agencies. Already, a series of inter-agency deals are reshaping the way the federal government handles education.
Student Loans to Treasury?
Among the most consequential decisions is the fate of the federal student loan system—a $1.6 trillion portfolio affecting more than 43 million Americans. Trump previously floated the idea of moving the program to the Small Business Administration, but a recent court filing indicates the Treasury Department is the new frontrunner.
According to that filing, the Education Department had been in contract negotiations with Treasury before the court order temporarily halted progress. With that pause lifted, the transfer is expected to proceed. Nine Education Department employees have already been detailed to Treasury to begin transition work.
Workforce Training Shifted to Labor
The department has also finalized an agreement with the Department of Labor to take over key workforce training and adult education grant programs. In that deal, $2.6 billion in federal education funds will be transferred to Labor, which will oversee grants typically managed by the Education Department and distributed to states.
The plan aims to create what officials call a “coordinated federal education and workforce system.” This consolidation is being promoted as a way to streamline federal efforts and cut bureaucratic waste, though critics say it will reduce oversight and expertise.
Special Education and Civil Rights in Limbo
Further reshuffling is expected. During her Senate confirmation hearing, McMahon suggested that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) could be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, while the Department of Justice may take over civil rights enforcement—a controversial shift that would remove dedicated education civil rights staff from the process.
That move has drawn sharp criticism from legal advocates and civil rights organizations. Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president of the National Women’s Law Center, warned that the transfer could gut protections for marginalized students. “Without enough staff and resources, students will face more barriers to educational opportunity and have fewer places to turn to when their rights are violated,” she said.
Court Battle Continues
Democracy Forward, the legal group representing plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, said the Supreme Court’s emergency action doesn’t signal final approval of the administration’s plan. “No court in the nation—not even the Supreme Court—has found that what the administration is doing is lawful,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the organization.
The group’s lawsuit is ongoing in lower federal courts, but for now, the Trump administration can continue restructuring the department.
Staffing Fallout and Systemic Disruption
The Education Department had placed approximately 1,400 employees on paid leave in March, following an executive order from President Trump to wind down the agency “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” The lower court ruling had prevented those workers from being formally terminated, but now their employment is expected to end imminently.
According to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, many of the affected employees had been left in bureaucratic limbo—prohibited from returning to work but not yet dismissed.
That absence is already impacting students and institutions. Melanie Storey, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, reported delays and outages within the federal financial aid system. One outage on StudentAid.gov lasted for hours following the initial wave of layoffs.
“It is concerning that the Court is allowing the Trump administration to continue with its planned reduction in force,” Storey said. “We’ve already seen disruptions that harm students who depend on timely, accurate financial aid information to access higher education.”
What Comes Next
Trump’s plan to decentralize federal education oversight aligns with a broader effort to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. While his administration insists that services will continue under other agencies, critics see the move as part of a larger ideological push to undercut federal enforcement of civil rights and education standards.
With more agency transfers likely in the coming weeks—and additional court challenges on the horizon—the future of federal involvement in education remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: under Trump’s second-term vision, the U.S. Department of Education is fast approaching the end of the line.
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