U.S.: Trump Signs Order to Dismantle Department of Education in Anti-Woke Crusade
On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, aiming to reduce federal oversight in education. This controversial move aligns with his anti-woke agenda but faces legal challenges and requires Congressional approval. Opponents argue it threatens public education quality.
hassan benyoub 
Washington, D.C., March 20, 2025, 10:13 AM PDT – President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, marking a symbolic step in his campaign against what he calls “woke propaganda” in public schools. The move, announced on X by @WhiteHouse, aims to shift education authority back to states while reducing federal oversight, as reported by Fox News and The New York Times.
A Symbolic Yet Limited Measure
Established in 1980 under President Jimmy Carter, the Department of Education has long been a target for conservatives, with Ronald Reagan attempting its abolition in the 1980s, per Education Week (2018). Trump’s order initiates the department’s dissolution, though its immediate impact is largely symbolic since most education decisions in the U.S. are made at the state and local levels, per ed.gov. The decree outlines staff reductions and the gradual transfer of the department’s functions, such as student aid and disability programs, to other agencies, as detailed in Politico.
Linda McMahon, the new Education Secretary and former WWE executive, will oversee the transition, promising to act “within the law” while ensuring support for students, families, and children with disabilities continues through alternative structures, per her statement on X, reported by The Hill. Posts on X, like @Trump2025News’s, celebrated the move as “a win for state rights,” while @EducationUSA warned of potential disruptions.
Part of Trump’s Anti-Woke Agenda
The dismantling aligns with Trump’s broader cultural battle against progressive education policies, targeting what he calls “ideological indoctrination” on issues like gender, race, and climate, as stated in a September 2023 X video, per NBC News. “It’s time to return education to families and remove bureaucrats from the school system,” Trump declared on Thursday, per Fox News. This echoes Project 2025, a conservative blueprint advocating for the department’s elimination, per The New York Times (July 2024).
The move has sparked fierce opposition. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), led by Randi Weingarten, plans to sue, arguing the reform “will harm all students” and is “an attack on the right to quality public education,” per The Guardian. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats on X called it a “tyrannical power grab,” vowing to challenge it in court, per CNN.
Congressional Hurdles Ahead
Abolishing the department requires Congressional approval, needing 60 Senate votes—a threshold Trump lacks, per Politico. Some Republicans, like Rep. Thomas Massie, propose using budget reconciliation to bypass this, with a bill already introduced, as reported by Fox News. Web results, such as www.bbc.com (March 20, 2025), note the order’s reliance on executive action for now, with legal battles looming.
The debate highlights deep political divides, pitting Trump’s conservative agenda against advocates for federal education equity, per a 2025 Carnegie Endowment analysis. Posts on X, like @TeachersUnited’s, fear “chaos for schools,” while @ConservativeVoice supports “ending federal overreach.”
As of 10:13 AM PDT, the order’s implementation faces significant legal and legislative challenges, setting the stage for a prolonged battle over the future of U.S. education policy.
