Trump’s USAID Closure: A Test Case for Dismantling the Department of Education

We cannot afford to let the Department of Education be another casualty of the Trump administration’s reckless agenda.

article-cropped February 04, 2025 by Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D.
Stylized photo of the White House front building

President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly demonstrated a deep-seated hostility toward federal agencies that serve vital public functions. The recent attempt to shutter of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) serves as a troubling precedent for a larger, more consequential goal: closing the Department of Education (ED). This is not just a budgetary maneuver or an ideological stance; it is a deliberate strategy to erode federal oversight and support for critical social services, leaving millions of Americans vulnerable.

USAID has long played a crucial role in global development, providing humanitarian aid, fostering democracy, and addressing crises such as global pandemics and food insecurity. However, Trump’s administration strategy to defund and undermine the agency before ultimately closing it is a cautionary tale. This strategy of choking resources, delegitimizing its function, and then minimizing its functions and redistributing them to the Department of State mirrors the approach Project 2025 proposes for dismantling the Department of Education.

Project 2025 outlines a plan to dismantle the Department of Education and reassign its functions to other federal agencies. Specifically, it proposes transferring programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) would be moved to the Census Bureau. Enforcement of civil rights in educational institutions would shift to the Department of Justice, which would handle these matters through litigation rather than proactive investigations. This reorganization reflects a broader strategy to reduce federal involvement in education and delegate more authority to states and local entities.

The argument for closing USAID rested on the premise that foreign aid is wasteful and that other organizations, such as the State Department or even private entities, could fulfill its functions. However, the reality is that USAID provided a level of expertise, coordination, and strategic focus that cannot simply be absorbed by the Department of State. The same is true for the Department of Education.

Here’s What’s at Stake if the Dept. of Education is Dismantled

Like USAID, the Department of Education is a critical institution, overseeing programs that impact millions of students and ensuring civil rights protections in schools. Dismantling it would be catastrophic, particularly for the most vulnerable students in America. Here’s what’s at stake:

  • ED administers crucial programs under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), such as Title I, which provides funding to high-poverty school districts. Without these federal funds, millions of students in underserved communities would suffer, deepening educational inequities and widening the opportunity gap.
  • Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ED provides $15 billion to support students with disabilities, ensuring they receive the education, supports, and services they are entitled to. Private schools are not required to serve these students, meaning the dissolution of ED would disproportionately harm children with disabiities.
  • ED collects and analyzes student performance data, ensuring that schools are held accountable for serving all students equitably. Without this oversight, many states would neglect historically underserved students, exacerbating disparities in educational outcomes.
  • The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within ED investigates and enforces protections against discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and more. Moving this function to the Department of Justice, as proposed in Project 2025, would severely limit enforcement, forcing students to rely on expensive and time-consuming litigation to defend their rights.
  • The Federal Student Aid office administers Pell Grants, student loans, and loan forgiveness programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Eliminating ED would put millions of students at risk of losing access to affordable higher education, forcing them into predatory private loan markets with higher interest rates and fewer protections.
  • The closure of USAID is a test run for a broader conservative strategy to shrink the federal government’s role in social and educational programs. The same arguments used against USAID —inefficiency, redundancy, and cost-cutting—are now being deployed to justify eliminating ED.
  • The reality, however, is that these agencies are not wasteful bureaucracies; they are the backbone of critical public services. Their elimination would not only harm the most vulnerable populations, but also disrupt entire sectors reliant on their expertise and funding.

Here’s What the Elimination of ED Would Do

  • Drain funding from public schools, worsening education outcomes for millions of students.
  • Leave students with disabilities without the resources they need to learn.
  • Eliminate essential civil rights protections, allowing discrimination in schools to go unchecked.
  • Make higher education inaccessible to low-income students by disrupting financial aid programs.
  • Subject student loan borrowers to higher payments and greater confusion on repayment.
  • Reduce transparency and accountability, allowing states and institutions to shirk responsibilities.

The Public Wants More Investment in Education, Not Less

Despite the rhetoric from Project 2025 and conservative think tanks, the American public overwhelmingly supports federal involvement in education. A 2024 poll found that 68% of all voters, and 58% of Republicans, believe that we should invest more in education to improve public schools. Dismantling ED is not just a policy mistake, it is a deeply unpopular move that would harm families across the country.

The attempt by the Trump Administration to close USAID is a warning shot. This administration is committed to dismantling federal agencies, methodically stripping them of resources, questioning their legitimacy, and ultimately erasing them from existence. If the Department of Education follows the same path, the consequences will be devastating for America’s students and the future of the country.

The fight to save ED is not just about education, it’s about protecting the fundamental rights and opportunities that the federal government has historically guaranteed. If the Trump administration’s handling of USAID is any indication, the battle for the Department of Education is already underway. We have the evidence that this administration is willing to light fire to the constitution, the rule of law, and congress, and their role in legislating. We cannot afford to let the Department of Education be another casualty of this reckless agenda.