President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, March 20. But only Congress can fully close a federal agency, so what happens next is still unclear.
According to the White House, Trump is ordering Secretary of Education Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
A White House official acknowledged that the agency will keep administering “critical programs” and can’t be fully dissolved without congressional approval. But it will operate at a smaller scale with fewer employees.
Here’s what we know about how changes to the government agency could affect Mississippi K-12 schools, colleges and universities.
Can Trump actually close the department?
Even with the executive order, Trump’s promise to close the U.S. Department of Education is not a guarantee.
The 60-vote threshold needed to pass legislation to shutter the education department in the Senate may be difficult to achieve, though the GOP has a majority in both chambers of Congress.
“The Democrats know it’s right, and I hope they’re going to be voting for it because ultimately it may come before them,” Trump said at the executive order signing.
Passing the legislation would most likely require some Democratic support. Some Republican Congress members have previously voiced apprehension over getting rid of the agency.
A leading teachers union has said they plan to sue the Trump administration over the changes.
“See you in court,” Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said earlier in the week.
Bills to kill the Department of Education is active in Congress
Almost 600 education-related bills have already been introduced for the 2025-26 congress along with another 100 suggested resolutions. They cover a broad range of goals nationally. A few have oppositional goals for the education department, including at least one to scrap it and another aiming to save it.
Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) introduced the States’ Education Reclamation Act of 2025 in January. It would abolish the DOE and transfer its duties to other agencies. It was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
The Department of Education Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Connecticut). If passed, a summary of the bill said it would keep funds from being used to “decentralize, reduce the staffing level of, or alter the responsibilities or functionality.” It uses Jan. 1, 2025 as the benchmark to maintain. The bill also was referred to the House education committee.
What we know about the federal education department
The U.S. Department of Education, created in 1979 and began operating in 1980, serves many roles including creating and enforcing regulations and providing billions of dollars each year to assist public schools and college students.
The agency has, historically, ensured anti-discrimination laws and policy are followed.
The Student Aid Program administers federal student loans for 43 million people.
Federal funding and programming are the two main areas at risk if the U.S. Department of Education fully closes.
Will this get rid of the education department in my state?
No.
This change won’t get rid of state agencies, like the Mississippi Department of Education, though some federal workers are spread throughout the country.
Follow the money: Mississippi gets more federal funds than it pays in taxes. Here’s where it goes
Who is leading the Department of Education?
On Monday, March 3, Congress approved the appointment of Linda McMahon as the leader of the Department of Education.
She once trained to be a teacher but never had a teaching job and served about a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009. She also has been a trustee at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Her professional background, mostly in business, including decades leading World Wrestling Entertainment with her co-founder, husband Vince McMahon. She led the Small Business Administration in Trump’s last term.
McMahon is reportedly a vocal supporter of Republican education policies, such as school choice that would let parents use public funds for private school costs. She’s advocated for expanding Pell grants and college alternatives.
What will the changes we know about now look like? President says student loans, some K-12 funds are safe
Most education decisions are already governed on a state level through legislation and policy. For example, states choose their own curriculums. Public K-12 schools get the majority of their funding through state legislatures and local taxes.
The U.S. Department of Education’s closure does not necessarily mean the elimination of federal funding. Most likely, existing federal funding within education would redistribute to other federal departments which would then allot the funding to various states. The majority of those funds are currently allotted to public K-12 schools.
The president said he plans to “fully preserve” specific directives under different agencies:
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Title I money that benefits school in high-poverty areas.
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Funds for students with physical and mental disabilities.
On March 21, he said he’d like the Small Business Administration to handle student loans.
The White House said any remaining programs getting funds won’t get to promote “gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion.
DEI has roots in the Civil Rights Movement, and often takes the form of policies promoting equal treatment of all individuals regardless of race within educational institutions and businesses.
Some federal student loan repayment programs have also been paused or seen changes already. Income-driven repayment plans used by millions of borrowers were halted.
The AFT is also suing the DOE, arguing its violating the law by denying people access to affordable student loan payments.
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DOE has already lost half its workers
When Trump took office, the department had about 4,133 workers and has lost or dropped about half since then.
The DOE laid off about 1,300 workers on March 11, including one from Mississippi. McMahon called the move a “first step, eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat.”
Anther 570 took the buyout offer from the federal government, leaving only about 2,183 employees.
The largest layoff hit was to the Federal Student Aid office, which lost 326 people. It helps students pay for college and works with federal student loans and Pell grants.
The next largest layoff loss, 243, was to the Office for Civil Rights. The office is meant to protect students and school employees from discrimination.
The Institute of Education Sciences was effectively eliminated entirely. It studied how effective school programs were for congress, which makes how the government plans to track students’ progress unclear.
The National Center for Education Statistics has existed since 1867 and was operated under the IES. Its NAEP test, commonly known as the Nation’s Report Card, has been used since 1969 to track education in the United States.
The lastest: Mississippi Board of Education recommends School for Mathematics and Science move. See where
What could happen in Mississippi if the U.S. Department of Education is fully closed?
Many experts have speculated what would happen if the U.S. Department of Education were to close. The specifics are not yet clear, but the effects could range from subtle changes to complete overhauls.
The federal government provides vital funding for many education programs in Mississippi, though most funding comes from state and local tax dollars.
For the 2024-2025 school year, nearly $2 billion of the state’s total $5.2 billion public education budget comes from federal funding. So about 36% of Mississippi’s public education budget for the current school year comes from federal funding.
Last month, the DOE instructed public institutions across the nation to eliminate DEI policies within all policies and practices or lose federal funds. Mississippi public universities and colleges that get federal funding are now assessing programs and practices under new interpretation of civil rights laws.
In Mississippi, both the Senate and the House recently passed bills banning DEI programs in higher education.
Putting more educational control within state hands could mean the states bear more of the financial burden, which in turn could mean higher taxes for Mississippi residents.
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Federal oversight, programming reduction
Instead of eliminating federal funding, abolishing the U.S. Department of Education is aimed more toward reducing federal oversight. This reduction would likely mean scaling back federal programming and regulations within education.
Special education is one of the main programs regulated by the national agency. If federal programs like special education lose federal oversight, there is no guarantee that all current funding would continue to flow.
Mississippi also relies heavily on federal funding for free school lunch programs for children in low-income households. Under former President Barack Obama’s administration, these school lunch programs expanded to allow districts with significant percentages of qualifying children to receive free lunches for all the district’s children.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Zachary Schermele, Rachel Barber, Kinsey Crowley
Got a news tip? Contact The Clarion-Ledger’s suburban reporter Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Trump wants to close education department. What does that mean in MS?
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