Following Donald Trump’s inauguration, the US has faced many changes: mass deportations, high tariffs, stock market volatility, deregulation on environment policies, etc. But, one of the largest changes we will face has been established as of March 19th, 2025. Under the Trump administration, the Department of Education is being largely defunded.
According to a US Department of Education press release, there will be a massive reduction in the workforce, impacting nearly 50% of current workers in education. Employees impacted will be placed on an administrative leave starting March 21st. This new defunding seems to be a final attempt to put education control back into the hands of the states.
In an article from Education Week, they explain that the education department has also gotten rid of its office of educational technology, which was in charge of guiding the new integration of technology and supporting ways of digital learning. Closing this office has raised new concerns about the future of federal support for educational technology for schools across the US.
Students with disabilities will also be heavily impacted. According to an article from AP News, these staff cuts are negatively affecting families of children with disabilities. The OCR, which oversees discrimination complaints is in a backlog of over 20,000 cases due to such massive cuts and defunding. This limits options and resources for families seeking resources to advocate for their children’s educational rights.
Roberta Nieves, a teacher in the special education department, explains that she does not think there will be many changes. “I think that special education will not be as impacted at most people think, our parents and students are some of the highest risks which is what everybody’s concern is. But those are the parents that speak the loudest and advocate the most so I think we will be just fine.”
One of the most influential and possibly detrimental changes is in regard to student loan repayments. A news article from The Guardian, explains how these changes have led to an increase of the monthly payments for many of the 43 million Americans with federal student loan debt. Furthermore, the administration has closed all new applications for all income-based repayment plans and restricted the eligibility for the Public Service Forgiveness program. This has caused millions of Americans financial stress and uncertainty.
The Department of Education’s future is uncertain. Trump has expressed intentions to completely abolish it, arguing that education should be handled at a state level. Although Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has said that the department does not exist anymore, formally establishing the abolishment requires congressional approval.
