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President Donald Trump has taken a controversial step towards dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, g an executive order he claims has been "45 years in the making."
Announcing his intentions, Trump stated, "We're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It's doing us no good. We want to return our students to the states."
This announcement follows a recent declaration that nearly half of the department's workforce will be laid off as part of what the istration is calling its "final mission." The move is part of a broader effort to shrink the federal government, a goal Trump has repeatedly emphasized throughout his presidency.
What Happens to Federal Student Loans?
The Department of Education currently isters federal student loans for nearly 43 million Americans. With the department's potential closure, President Trump has suggested that the responsibility for managing student loans could be shifted to agencies like the Treasury Department, Commerce Department, or even the Small Business istration (SBA).
"I don't think the Education Department should be handling the loans. That's not their business," Trump explained. He added that the SBA could be a viable candidate for managing loans, with new Kelly Loeffler reportedly on board with the idea.
While this transition may sound daunting, Andrew Gillen, a research fellow at the Cato Institute for Economic Freedom, pointed out that "for a lot of the student loan repayment plans, you need income verification. Treasury already has that. So just from an istrative perspective, Treasury already has a lot of information that is necessary to implement the student loan programs."
The Broader Impact on Public Education
Critics of the move are raising concerns that eliminating the Department of Education will leave millions of Americans-particularly those from low-income backgrounds-without essential resources and protections.
Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, warned that dismantling the department could result in fewer resources for vulnerable students, larger class sizes, and weakened civil rights protections.
Programs like Title I, which s schools with high concentrations of low-income students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides $15 billion in for students with disabilities, may be severely impacted if transferred to other agencies.
Additionally, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights may be moved to the Department of Justice, weakening its ability to enforce protections against discrimination.
What's Next for Student Loan Borrowers?
According to Gillen, transferring oversight of federal student loans to the Treasury Department may be a relatively smooth process. "Adding 40 million new borrowers wouldn't be out of left field for them," he said. However, delays and errors are possible as s are transitioned from one agency to another.
Advocates fear that dismantling the Department of Education is just part of a broader effort to cut for public schools and push for privatization.
With Trump's istration continuing to target public education resources, many worry about the long-term consequences for students across the country.
Pringle summed up the potential impact of this move, saying, "Americans did not vote for, and do not , ending the federal government's commitment to ensuring equal educational opportunities for every child."