Schumer Declares Education Dept. Closure Proposal Dead

Boxing gloves with political party symbols.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed to block President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, declaring any Republican legislation to officially close the agency will be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

Quick Takes

President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, but Congressional approval is required for actual closure
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer promised Democrats would “halt in its tracks” any legislation attempting to shutter the department
Trump’s order assigns Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate transitioning department functions to state agencies
The department manages over $1 trillion in student loans and provides significant funding to schools nationwide
Republicans argue education should be controlled locally rather than by federal bureaucracy

Democrats Stand Firm Against Department Closure

In a direct challenge to President Trump’s executive action, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made his position crystal clear. “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,” Schumer stated. The New York Democrat’s remarks underscore the legislative reality facing the administration’s plans – despite Trump’s executive order, the Department of Education, established by Congress in 1979, cannot be eliminated without congressional approval.

Schumer, who has served in Congress since 1981, shortly after the department was established, has positioned his caucus as an unwavering obstacle to any Republican efforts to officially close the department. His stern warning comes after President Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the federal agency and transferring its functions to state governments. The showdown highlights the limits of executive power when confronting established federal departments that require legislative action for significant structural changes.

Trump’s Executive Order and Republican Support

President Trump’s executive order represents the fulfillment of a key campaign promise to his supporters. The order explicitly criticizes the department, stating that it “has entrenched the education bureaucracy and sought to convince America that Federal control over education is beneficial.” The directive also calls for a review and termination of federal funding related to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Trump has assured Americans that “the department’s useful functions… will be preserved, fully preserved” while transferring authority to state and local jurisdictions.

“Education is best administered by parents and teachers and those closest to students, not bureaucrats in Washington, DC,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, expressing support for the president’s action. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy plans to introduce legislation to formally eliminate the department, setting up the legislative battle Schumer has promised to fight. Republicans have long argued that education policy is most effective when managed at the state level, away from federal bureaucracy and standardization.

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

Practical Challenges and Concerns

The Department of Education’s responsibilities extend far beyond policy guidance. The federal agency manages more than $1 trillion in student loans and provides significant funding to public schools across the nation. Critics of the closure plan express serious concerns about how these critical functions would be maintained during any transition to state control. The uncertainty surrounding student loan management and ongoing repayment programs affects millions of Americans with outstanding education debt.

“[T]he Department of Education has entrenched the education bureaucracy and sought to convince America that Federal control over education is beneficial,” President Trump stated in his executive order.

The White House has emphasized that “Ultimately, the Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the states.” This position aligns with traditional conservative views on federalism and local control. However, with Democrats controlling enough Senate seats to block legislation, the path to actually dismantling the department remains unclear. The executive order itself can only initiate planning and preparation for such a transition, while the department’s actual elimination would require legislative approval that appears unlikely in the current political landscape.

Historical Context and Political Reality

The Department of Education, created by Congress in October 1979 and operational since May 1980, has been a target of conservative criticism for decades. Many Republicans have campaigned on eliminating it since its inception, viewing it as an example of federal overreach into what they consider state and local matters. The department was established under President Jimmy Carter as a Cabinet-level agency, elevating education policy within the federal government’s structure. Since then, it has become integral to nationwide educational funding and program administration.

While President Trump’s executive order represents the most significant move against the department in its history, the political reality of Senate mathematics means any permanent dismantling faces substantial obstacles. Secretary McMahon’s task of planning the transition may proceed, but implementation remains contingent on legislative action that Schumer has promised to block. As this political battle unfolds, the department’s operations continue unchanged for now, maintaining its oversight of federal education programs and funding across the country.