WASHINGTON—President Trump issued an executive order to wind down the Department of Education today. The order directs Secretary McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States.” 
 
Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America President Dr. Kevin Roberts made the following statement: 

“From the moment it was created, the Department of Education was a mistake. It was founded on the false premise that unelected bureaucrats in Washington know better than parents and local communities when it comes to educating children. For decades, it has funneled billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system—one that prioritizes leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all while student achievement stagnates and America falls further behind.

“As a fifth-generation educator—a professor, college president, and founder of a classical school—I’ve seen firsthand what actually works: empowering parents, keeping decision-making at the local level, and ensuring that funding follows students, not bureaucracies. 

“Now, President Trump is once again proving he keeps his promises. He’s putting America first, restoring common sense, and dismantling the bloated, ideological bureaucracies that have hollowed out our institutions—starting with the Department of Education.” 

Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, added: 

“This is a tremendous step toward restoring education control to states, localities, and parents. In issuing this Executive Order, the Trump Administration is achieving a longstanding conservative goal. Congress would need to follow the President’s lead and take the steps necessary to permanently dismantle what Ronald Reagan called Carter’s ‘bureaucratic boondoggle.’

“Imparting education with Cabinet-level agency status has not led to education excellence. Since the Department’s creation in 1980, inflation-adjusted federal education spending has more than doubled, yet student learning outcomes have remained flat, achievement gaps have persisted, and college prices have soared.

“Federal bureaucrats’ central planning cannot compare to the expertise that parents have about the needs of their own children. I applaud the Trump administration for taking steps to finally bring the agency’s closure to fruition.” 

BACKGROUND: Heritage has called for ending the Education Department for decades. Read more details with this backgrounder.