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While President Donald Trump has yet to make any changes to the Department of Education, the White House is reportedly preparing an executive order to eliminate it, according to NBC.

Even with the order, Trump would need Congressional approval to disassemble the government agency responsible for funding and curating public education in the United States. He first mentioned plans to close the department in Sept. 2023.

In a Sunday speech, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand vowed to protect the department and warned of the “disastrous consequences” of Trump’s order, including harm to children, schools and communities.

“President Trump’s threat to shutter the Department of Education is a reckless and unconstitutional move that would jeopardize programs,” Gillibrand said in a Sunday release. “The Trump administration is stealing from our children, our teachers, and our families to give tax breaks to the wealthy.”

The DOEd provides supplemental funding to school districts serving children from low-income families through Title 1 grants and special education programs for students with disabilities. It also supports school improvement programs, as well as mental health and after-school activities.

Since his inauguration, Trump has targeted diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs across the nation, pursuing his campaign promise to weaken DEIA efforts across the U.S. In a since-blocked executive order, Trump sought to pause all federal loans, grants and other assistance, including Medicaid and universal school lunch programs.

If the department shuts down, more than two million K-12 students across New York state would lose access to crucial federal funding, including half a million students with disabilities who could lose close to $1 billion in support, according to Sunday’s release.

The department also oversees and distributes Pell Grants, a financial aid program for low-income college students. The release states more than 300,000 students in New York could lose over $1 billion in grant funding from the department.

If the DOEd shuts down, these programs and others would be at risk.

The potential shutdown of the department also threatens over 200,000 English learners in the state who could lose $66 million in annual funding for their education and students could lose $12 million in mental health aid, according to the release.

The executive order is expected to be issued later this month, Reuters reported. A 90-day review would follow to seek Congressional input and outline a plan.

Published on February 9, 2025 at 11:37 pm

Contact Delia: dsrangel@syr.edu