President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order at the White House aimed at dismantling the Department of Education, or the ED. The dismantling of the ED would be done in an attempt to cut federal spending and relay educational responsibilities to the states. 

The Department of Education aids 50 million students and about 130,000 public and private schools where most of the spending is ordered by Congress. Billions of dollars worth of aid are dispersed across a population of students with disabilities and schools in low-income communities. 

According to the Department of Education 2024 budget summary, $126 billion was distributed to the new Federal student aid in the 2024-2025 academic year to help students afford a postsecondary education through grants and scholarships. 

While technically, Trump can dismantle the ED, it is a complex legislative process requiring consideration for all flowing parts. A significant legal challenge is gaining approval from Congress. 

Conversations of moving Federal Student Aid, or FSA, to the Treasury Department have been present. Millions of college students who rely on federal assistance face the risk of their school affordability being altered. Programs like Pell Grants, work-study and Public Service Loan Forgiveness are some examples that could be prone to changes if this order follows through. 

If the FSA were to move to the Treasury Department, there could be loan delays from the additional currency and changes in scholarship and grant eligibility. 

“My biggest concern is that this change is going to be so unfair to future students that do not have the same economic access to education as others do,” said Jenna VanSant, a sophomore liberal studies major. 

GCSU staff are also left wondering what changes they will have to face. 

“There’s so much up in the air that could change the experience here at Georgia College and its potential,” said Alan Weston, director of marketing and publications. “That changes the way that we market and the things we offer to students might be different for the next class.”

Trump’s plan to dismantle the ED requires consent from Congress, and congressional approval of the order would require a majority vote in the House and Senate.

If possible for the plan to follow through, the states would have to manage the federal funds independently. This could potentially lead to challenges in maintaining the current programs that disadvantaged students rely on, including Title I which is the largest source of federal funding that is allocated to public schools across the United States. 

“I am afraid of how this will impact future generations to come,” said Sarah Waldron, a sophomore sociology major. “This idea to overturn the Department of Education will promote inequality.” 

The argument critics of the ED lean toward is the concern of taxpayer money and that it allows the federal government to insert itself into local decisions regarding education. 

However, with this, there would be greater state and local control, and advocates for the order argue that states can accommodate the specific needs within their community, reasoning why education is best managed at the state level. 

Significant cost savings are also at hand. With the dismantling of the ED, there is room to redirect those savings to state education or other critical needs. However, Trump has not specifically stated his plans for redirecting the savings. 

The executive order itself is composed of a plan to direct the nominee for the Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to wind down the agency and to convince Congress to abolish the ED.

“Because I told Linda: ‘Linda I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job,’” Trump said.

The White House is pressuring federal workers to quit to reduce the size of the federal government and cut spending. Dozens of Education Department employees are being put on paid leave. 

The future of the Department of Education has yet to be determined and many await the decision of Trump.