Rosa DeLauro: The Trump Administration Plot to Destroy Public Education

Officials claim that dismantling the Department of Education will improve efficiency. It isn’t true.

https://prospect.org/2026/01/13/trump-mcmahon-department-education-dismantle-disabilities-act/


Protesters gather during a demonstration at the headquarters of the Department of Education, March 14, 2025, in Washington. Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo



After taking stock of the state of American education, the president determined dramatic action was needed. He set out to “cut red tape and promote better service for local school systems”; to “save tax dollars,” “eliminate bureaucratic layers,” and “earn improved educational services at less cost.” He believed the “primary responsibility for education should rest with those States, Localities, and private institutions that have made our Nation’s educational system the best in the world.” And that we must “ensure that local communities retain control of their schools and education programs.” To fulfill these goals, that president, Jimmy Carter, signed the Department of Education Organization Act into law in 1979.

President Donald Trump claims to share these goals, but instead of providing schools with resources that enable students to thrive, his administration is systematically dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. As a result, President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon will exacerbate existing problems—cutting off desperately needed resources, expanding the department’s bureaucracy, creating more red tape for students and schools to navigate, eroding trust in federal education policy writ large, and ultimately undermining public education as an institution.

Let me review some history. The cornerstones of federal support for American education are the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Higher Education Act (HEA), which were first passed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, along with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), first enacted under President Ford. These laws made remarkable improvements in the access to, and quality of, education in America. They provided federal funding for schools in impoverished areas so that every American child, regardless of ZIP code, could have access to an education that could take them to new heights. They created accommodations for students with disabilities, recognizing that every child deserves the opportunity to receive an education that propels them forward. They helped narrow the gap in educational outcomes between low-income urban and rural students, and those in affluent suburbs. And many public schools were able to open their very first libraries thanks to ESEA funding.

But despite those improvements, the government lacked a unified infrastructure to administer these programs in a clear and efficient manner. Crucially, there was no single, visible, high-ranking government official responsible for coordinating federal education resources. Educators and advocates had to wade through bureaucracies in several different offices and agencies just to figure out who was responsible for addressing their problems. Progress had been made, but the system was still disorganized. So Congress wrote and President Carter signed the bipartisan bill to create the Department of Education. In Carter’s words, it was to establish “a direct, unobstructed relationship between those who administer aid-to-education programs and those who actually provide education in our country.”

snip