Department of Education Will Continue Operating Despite Trump’s Cuts

• The Department of Education will be downsized.
• Scholarships and loans will remain in place.
• More educational control will be given to the states.

The U.S. Department of Education will continue managing student aid and loans despite an executive order President Donald Trump will sign to reduce the department’s structure.

The White House confirmed on Thursday that the agency will continue administering scholarships, loans, and other educational programs, although its size and scope will be “considerably reduced.”

“As for student loans and Pell Grants, they will continue to be administered by the Department of Education,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

The executive order will instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to significantly scale down the department.

Department of Education Funds Remain, but with Cuts and Criticism

Leavitt also confirmed that funding for special education and Title I aid under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will continue under the department’s supervision.

“We’ve spent over $3 trillion on this federal bureaucracy. What has been the return on that investment for the American taxpayer? Results that are far from ideal,” said Leavitt.

The Trump administration argues that U.S. students’ performance in reading, science, and math does not justify federal spending on education.

“The president is finally taking much-needed steps to return education to where it belongs—that is, to the educators closest to the students, in their classrooms, in their respective states,” the spokeswoman added.

The Department of Education was created in 1979 through a congressional act, meaning its total elimination would require legislative approval.

That scenario is highly unlikely due to Democratic opposition, although Trump has suggested he could gain enough support to abolish it.

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Since returning to the White House on January 20, the department’s staff has already been cut in half.

Republicans have strongly criticized the Department of Education’s management under President Joe Biden, particularly for student loan forgiveness and the expansion of protections for the LGBTQ+ community in education.

The plan to dismantle the Department of Education is part of Trump’s campaign promise to shrink the size of the federal government and transfer more authority to the states.

SOURCE: EFE / YAHOO

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