Senate Democrats Reject Plan To Shut Down Education Dept.

Senate Democrats signal they will block President Trump’s effort to eliminate the Department of Education, setting up a major confrontation between the new administration and a determined opposition.

Key Insights

President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, but Congressional approval is required to fully dismantle the agency.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared any Republican effort to close the Department would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
The Department of Education manages over $1 trillion in student loans and provides significant funding to schools nationwide.
Republicans argue education should be controlled at the state level, while Democrats maintain federal oversight ensures educational quality and equity.

Executive Action Faces Legislative Reality

President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at eliminating the Department of Education, fulfilling one of his campaign promises to reduce federal control over education. The order tasks Education Secretary Linda McMahon with facilitating the agency’s closure and transitioning programs to state agencies. The executive order states the department has “entrenched the education bureaucracy” and calls for a review of federal funding related to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

However, complete elimination of the department, which was established by Congress in 1979 and began operations in 1980, requires legislative approval. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy plans to introduce legislation to officially eliminate the Department, with support from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican lawmakers who emphasize local control over education.

Senator Schumer: I will make sure to keep American children in a failed system. https://t.co/xJeb75rXsT pic.twitter.com/EnYwE7dict

— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) March 24, 2025

Democrats Prepare for Battle

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has taken a firm stance against the proposed elimination, stating unequivocally that Senate Democrats would block any such legislation. “Let me be very clear: If Republicans ever, ever, try to move a bill through the Senate that shuts down the Department of Education, Senate Democrats will halt it in its tracks. It will go nowhere. It will be dead on arrival,” said Schumer, who has served in the U.S. legislature since 1981, shortly after the department was established.

“Education is best administered by parents and teachers and those closest to students, not bureaucrats in Washington, DC,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Democrats argue the department plays a crucial role in ensuring education quality and equity across the nation. The Education Department currently provides significant funding for schools nationwide and manages over $1 trillion in student loans, raising questions about how these responsibilities would be handled if the department were to be eliminated.

Constitutional Considerations

The constitutional framework for eliminating a federal department established by Congress requires legislative action. While President Trump’s executive order signals his administration’s intent, it cannot unilaterally dissolve the department. The White House has emphasized that the department’s core functions would not disappear entirely but would be reorganized under different authority.

“Trump said during remarks last week that ‘the department’s useful functions … will be preserved, fully preserved.'” Trump assured.

At stake is the fundamental question of federal versus state control over education policy. Republicans argue that “Ultimately, the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the states,” while Democrats contend that federal oversight provides necessary standards and protections for students across the country. With Democrats holding enough seats in the Senate to block legislation, the path forward for Trump’s education policy agenda faces significant legislative hurdles.