WASHINGTON — Throughout his election bid, President-elect Donald Trump openly criticized the federal Department of Education, labeling it as an organization infiltrated by “radicals, zealots, and Marxists.”
Linda McMahon, a former executive in the wrestling industry, has been chosen to head the department. However, reminiscent of previous conservative leaders, Trump expressed intentions to eliminate the department entirely—an initiative that would likely demand congressional action.
The primary responsibility of the Education Department involves financial management. It disperses billions in federal funding to educational institutions each year and oversees federal student loans. Disbanding the department would necessitate reallocating its various roles to different agencies. Furthermore, the department plays a significant regulatory role in serving diverse student needs, including those with disabilities and disadvantaged youth.
Federal education funding is vital to Trump’s vision for higher education. He has promised to cut federal funding to institutions promoting “critical race theory, transgender issues, and other inappropriate content” while incentivizing states and schools that eliminate teacher tenure and implement universal school choice.
Federal aid accounts for a modest portion of public school budgets—around 14%—while colleges and universities are much more dependent on such funding through research grants and aid that helps students cover tuition expenses.
Examining the department’s essential roles reveals how Trump might navigate these areas.
**Student Loans and Financial Aid**
The Education Department is responsible for approximately $1.5 trillion in student loan debt affecting over 40 million borrowers. It manages the Pell Grant program, which provides financial support to low-income students, and oversees the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which institutions utilize to distribute aid.
The Biden administration has prioritized student loan cancellation as part of the department’s function. Following an unsuccessful attempt to cancel student loans that the Supreme Court invalidated, the administration has since forgiven over $175 billion for around 4.8 million borrowers through various program modifications, like the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
However, these loan forgiveness initiatives have encountered resistance from Republican entities, including legal challenges from GOP-led states. Trump’s viewpoints on debt cancellation diverge sharply from Biden’s, as he has labeled the actions as illegal and unjust, dubbing them a “total catastrophe” that “trolled young people.” Trump’s specific plans for addressing student debt remain unclear as he has not presented concrete strategies.
**Civil Rights Enforcement**
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is tasked with investigating and providing guidance on how civil rights laws should be enforced, especially regarding LGBTQ+ students and students of color. This office also manages a comprehensive data collection effort aimed at monitoring inequities in resources, course accessibility, and discipline across various demographic groups.
Trump has indicated his desire to alter the office’s civil rights approach. In his campaign platform, he pledged to pursue civil rights cases aimed at preventing racial discrimination in schools. He has characterized diversity and equity policies in education as “explicit unlawful discrimination,” threatening colleges that implement them with fines and tax implications on their endowments.
Moreover, Trump has vowed to deny Title IX protections to transgender students, which influence policies regarding the use of preferred pronouns, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Title IX, originally enacted in 1972 primarily to safeguard women’s rights, was recently interpreted by Biden’s administration as prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation—a stance Trump could reverse.
**College Accreditation**
While the Education Department does not conduct direct accreditation of colleges and universities, it regulates the system by evaluating federally recognized accrediting agencies. Colleges must achieve accreditation to access federal student financial aid.
In 2022, the accreditation process faced conservative scrutiny when allegations of political interference arose concerning Florida public colleges. Trump has stated intentions to dismiss “radical left accreditors,” proposing that new accreditors be appointed to uphold standards that include a “defense of the American tradition” and a decrease in “Marxist” diversity administration.
Although the education secretary possesses the power to terminate relationships with specific accrediting bodies, such actions require a complex procedure that is seldom pursued. The Trump administration previously obstructed efforts to cancel the accreditation of a now-defunct for-profit college institution, which the Biden administration fully revoked in 2022.
**Funding for Schools**
A significant portion of the Education Department’s budget for K-12 education is distributed through major federal programs like Title I, which supports schools serving low-income populations, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These initiatives are vital for providing essential services to children with special needs, enhancing class sizes through additional teaching roles, and funding social workers alongside other non-teaching positions.
Trump has proposed transferring these responsibilities to state governments while providing few details on how federal allocations to local districts and institutions would function. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 outlines a broader far-right strategy that aligns with some of Trump’s campaign views, suggesting that oversight of programs for disabled and low-income children be shifted initially to the Department of Health and Human Services before gradually phasing out federal funding and converting it into unrestricted grants to states.
