How the Trump Administration Is Affecting the Department of Education

While it has only been about a month since President Donald Trump took his oath of office, his administration has been quick to implement a wide array of government changes. From cutting funding for DEI to renaming the Gulf of Mexico, it can be challenging to keep up with all of the changes. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the president’s politics, understanding the basics of what he plans to do and if or how it may affect you or someone you know is crucial to being an engaged citizen. When it comes to college students, the most noteworthy change President Trump is looking to make comes with the US Department of Education.

What is the DOE?

The US Department of Education—also known as USDOE or ED—is a government organization who, according to their mission statement, looks “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” ED was established by congress in May of 1980 under the Department of Education Organization Act (Public Law 96-88 of October 1979).

Under the law, the DOE is responsible for a number of education related tasks, including the assurance of equal opportunity in education, the improvements of the education system through research and evaluation, and providing funding (to “supplement and complement” funds already covered by state taxes, local school systems, nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, and the private sector).

Additionally under the law, the DOE is also responsible for increasing public involvement in Federal education programs, improving the coordination of Federal education programs, improving the management of Federal education activities, and increasing the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, Congress, and the public.

How Does the DOE Affect College Students?

While the DOE provides a significant amount of funding and oversight for K-12 schools, the department directly affects higher education, as well. The DOE provides a massive amount of funding to help college students cover tuition. According to Inside Higher Ed, every year, the DOE rolls out about $100 billion in student loans and $30 billion in Pell Grants to low-income students. About $2.14 billion goes to Federal Work-Study and supplemental grants. Over 5,000 colleges and universities utilize Federal financial aid, including JWU.

Beyond financial aid, the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights is also a vital branch of the department in regards to higher ed. Through this office, students can report cases of discrimination in education on the basis of sex, race, religion, or disability status. The office then investigates such cases, holding schools accountable when they fail to uphold anti-discrimination practices.

Finally, the DOE also conducts and provides to the public vital research on higher ed throughout the country, notably creating the College Scorecard in 2015. This tool allows students to examine the economics, demographics, and attributes of colleges or universities, to help them make more informed decisions during the application process.

Why and How Does Trump Want to Change the DOE?

Since its creation, the DOE has faced criticisms from the Republican Party. They have primarily argued that the DOE’s existence violates the Constitution, as it does not mention education, and the DOE is instead an example of unnecessary government spending. Furthermore, Trump and many Republicans have argued that the department’s reach is simply too big and not efficient enough, often emphasizing that much of its funding and oversight can and should instead be handled by state and local governments (majority of which already is).

Most recently, however, Trump and his constituents have argued that many of the diversity initiatives in place through the DOE are unnecessary and are an effort to push ideologies onto students surrounding race and gender identity. They looked to combat this by having the DOE cut $600 million in federal grants for “institutions and nonprofits that were using taxpayer funds to train teachers and education agencies on divisive ideologies.” These grants had been awarded to teacher preparation programs that covered topics such as how to dismantle racial bias and confront systemic inequalities, among other similar meaningful objectives.

Beyond the funding cuts related to diversity and inclusion, the Trump administration has been fast to cut other integral offices out of the DOE. President Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” AKA “DOGE”—led by Elon Musk—has cut $1 billion in DOE contracts. This action has effectively cut the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), an important office of the DOE. The IES is one of the United States’s largest funders of education research. It tracks the progress of US students, providing vital insight into the needs of school systems, their teachers, and their students, and is depended on by state and local departments of education, educators, and colleges.

What’s Next?

President Trump does not have the power to fully cut the DOE without the approval of Congress, but his critics believe actions such as the funding cut enacted by DOGE is the first step towards removing the department. Former preschool teacher and current US Senator Patty Murray of Washington, who sits on the Senate’s education committee, said in a statement, “Make no mistake, this is just the first step Donald Trump and Musk are taking to abolish the Department of Education, leaving our public schools with fewer resources and support to pay for massive tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations.”

There has yet to be a move from the Trump administration towards defunding federal loans and/or grants for college students, but, given how fast this administration has been to cut funding from other offices and initiatives within the DOE, this is a very real possibility. Through budget reconciliation, the initiatives like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), Student Loan Interest Deduction, and PLUS loans could lose funding, drastically affecting college students across the country.

Although the road ahead remains unclear in terms of how exactly the Trump administration will ultimately reshape and/or eliminate the DOE, major changes—that will directly affect students—can be expected. Keeping up with and understanding these changes is deeply important for all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, as the DOE is a vital department, enabling students from all around the country to attend college through research, funding and equity initiatives.