The US Department of Education, established in 1979 by Congress, is under attack. Here’s why you should care. In 2025, President Trump ordered the department to be shut down and aimed to hand educational authority over to the states. His plan slashes funding to programs he views as “inefficient,” including those that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). If it goes through, it will mark a drastic shift in the state of public education in America, especially for students who depend on help from the federal government to support their education.

The Department of Education’s job is to make sure that students across the country have access to a quality education. It has programs and offices for college financial aid, special education, research on learning, and more.

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Civil Rights Protections and DEI

The DOE protects civil rights in schools, like defending LGBTQ+ rights and fighting racism and discrimination. The Trump administration is working to push back on these protections, threatening to cut funding for states that uphold civil rights, enforcing female-at-birth-only spaces, and cutting staff in the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates civil rights violations and works to ensure that students have equal access to education.

In states like California, which has many programs protecting vulnerable students, the cuts could mean an $8 billion reduction in the overall education budget.

A big part of Trump’s agenda is attacking DEI programs, which he claims actually perpetuate racial stereotypes—entirely subverting the narrative and purpose of many DEI programs, whose purpose is actually to combat these stereotypes. He believes that DEI programs are unfair because they give people advantages based on their race. The DOE has said they have “issued guidance and taken enforcement action to ensure schools cease using race preferences and stereotypes in federally funded educational environments.” Moving forward, we will probably see an even stronger push on universities with regard to race preferences in schools. This may lead to even more pressure on universities when it comes to the role of race in admissions.

Many organizations and institutions, such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), are working to push back on the Trump agenda and defend students’ rights.

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Federal Student Loan and Aid Cuts

Trump’s 2026 budget plan cuts money from federal programs that help students afford college. Some examples include:

• The Federal Work-Study program, which assists in providing students with part-time jobs to pay for college. Trump wants to cut $980 million in funding and plans to hand over the program to the states. Currently, the federal government helps to cover up to 75% of students’ wages.
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants: These grants help undergraduate low-income students.
• TRIO Programs: These help students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds pursue higher education.

Many students were excited when the Biden administration said they were going to forgive (cancel) student loans. Loans are money that you borrow from the government to pay for higher education, which you have to pay back with interest after you graduate. Trump is now trying to reverse Biden’s move. He wants to bring back loan payments and try to make up for a debt portfolio adding to more than $1.6 trillion.

Threats to Special Education

Federal protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are also under threat. IDEA has helped over 7 million students with disabilities gain access to public education and the resources/tools they need in school, such as specialized instruction or assistive technology.

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Funding Cuts to Research

Another key target is the Institute of Education Sciences, a DOE facility that researches the effectiveness of federal programs and tracks students’ academic progress both nationally and internationally. The Trump administration wants to cut $900 million from this institution.

This will likely not affect the operation of the NAEP assessment (The National Assessment of Educational Progress), which collects data and tests students on varying subjects (such as math and reading), and the College Scorecard, a free online tool that provides information on higher education. But the research cuts could make it harder for the government to track the quality of education across states.

Early Childhood Education

Federal preschool programs, such as Head Start, which has served almost 40 million students since its founding, could also lose money. The program has been a crucial provider of educational services to low-income families with children under five years old across the United States. If funding is cut, many families who come from disadvantaged backgrounds may not be able to afford early education or have the same access to it.

Giving it to the States

A large part of Trump’s vision for the future of education is to let states decide how to run their educational institutions. But not all states have the money and the resources to take over programs that the federal government once provided. Federal funds usually make up a tenth of a state’s K-12 budget. In Tennessee, that’s around “$1.8 billion distributed to local districts for its public schools, most of which supports students from low-income families, English language learners, and those with disabilities.” If the DOE is dismantled, states with small budgets might not be able to maintain these services at the level they are currently being operated, which again, causes significant damage to equality and access to education.

Trump needs the majority approval of Congress to fully eliminate the Department of Education, but even without it, he’s already making significant changes through executive actions. Numerous educational institutions have begun to reevaluate their stance, programs they offer, and their message.

Students who rely on federal protections, particularly those who come from minority communities, are likely to experience the harshest repercussions. The future of public education in the United States and the condition of equality and civil rights are still very up in the air, and the type of education you receive may depend a lot on which state you live in.