Under McMahon, ED Is Diminished but Not Dead, Experts Say

Under McMahon, ED Is Diminished but Not Dead, Experts Say

Briefly

"Nine months into President Donald Trump's second term in office, he and his education secretary Linda McMahon have essentially gutted the 45-year-old Department of Education as they work toward their "final mission" of shutting it down. First, they cut millions in grants and terminated hundreds of contracts. Then, they eliminated nearly 2,000 employees via buyouts and layoffs, slashing the department's staff from just over 4,000 to about 2,400."

"With some offices erased entirely and others just a skeleton of what they once were, the administration started to ship certain grant programs and oversight responsibilities to other agencies entirely. All the while, some colleges started to experience funding delays, financial aid officers said no one was on the line to answer their questions and students said their civil rights complaints weren't being processed."

"These events, combined with the department's latest attempt to fire another 500 employees in October, have shown how a determined executive branch can dismantle ED without congressional approval and fueled concerns about the agency's ultimate demise. Republicans in Congress who have repeatedly stressed that only the legislative branch can shut down the department have remained largely silent. Still, of the more than a dozen higher ed experts, politicians and former department staffers Inside Higher Ed spoke with, few were willing to pronounce the department dead."