Education secretary says elimination of department is ‘realistic,’ but timeline is unclear

WASHINGTON —

Students are heading back to the classroom as the Trump administration continues its push to dismantle the U.S Department of Education.

In a one-on-one interview on Monday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon maintained that President Donald Trump’s goal of completely eliminating the department is realistic, despite hurdles on Capitol Hill and upcoming midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress.

Trump contends that the federal agency is costly and ineffective, while critics argue that closing down the department would disrupt crucial services and weaken civil rights safeguards.

“I do think that it’s realistic that we could totally return education to the states by the end of this term and, yes, Congress will have to vote on that because Congress did vote to establish the Department of Education,” McMahon said. “What I have asked them to do is to give me the opportunity to have a proof of concept.”

McMahon says that so far, the Education Department has entered into 14 interagency agreements to shift key services to other parts of the federal government. She didn’t provide a timeline for transitioning services or commit to fulfilling those agreements by the end of this school year.

“I can tell you that we are continuously working on this,” McMahon said. “We’re not in any rush for any of the work that we’re doing because the important thing is that we do it right and we do it without disruption.”

Department of Labor delay

The Education Department decided to hold off on moving Title I, a funding stream for schools with a high proportion of low-income students, to the Labor Department this fall. Those dollars will be distributed through the Education Department’s existing grant system on Oct. 1.

It comes after several states reported delayed career and technical education grants, which were sent through a new Labor Department portal last year. McMahon said early kinks have been worked out, noting that they have processed roughly 6,700 payments to date.

Shifting special education

Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill that advanced out of a key Senate committee earlier this summer aims to block some interagency agreements from moving forward.

The legislation opposes a plan to shift management of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the Department of Health and Human Services, arguing HHS lacks the staff and expertise for the job.

“I am really convinced that we’ve made the correct decision in the move to HHS. They’re already servicing millions of recipients,” McMahon said when asked if she’s open to reconsidering the move. “I think this is going to be an incredible enhancement of services.”

Civil rights enforcement lag

Some lawmakers have also raised concerns about a reported slowdown in civil rights enforcement, from racial discrimination to sexual harassment cases, after the Trump administration cut more than half of the staff working in that office last year.

The Trump administration inherited a backlog of cases, but a report from Senator Bernie Sanders’ office released earlier this year noted that, after the firings, 78% fewer resolution agreements were reached compared to the year prior, the lowest rate in more than a decade.

Asked if staff cuts were to blame for the drop-off, McMahon said, “Partially, yes. We did have very deep staff cuts right at the very beginning. We are in the process now of hiring back lawyers, and putting some new lawyers in place, and also we’ve signed an interagency agreement now with the Department of Justice,” McMahon said.

“We’re also working now on some technological solutions that I think are going to speed up that process as well. So we’re on it,” she added.

Budget priorities

Trump’s 2027 budget request to Congress would preserve current funding levels for Title I and slightly increase funding for IDEA, the two biggest federal funding streams for public education.

Trump’s budget also includes a $2.3 billion cut, a 2.9% decrease from 2026, which could impact teacher development dollars, among other programs.

Democrats have criticized the Trump administration for seeking a surge in defense spending, while proposing education cuts.

McMahon argues that eliminating specific grant programs will pave the way for more flexibility, allowing states to spend federal dollars as they see fit while saving money on compliance costs.

Trump’s budget also proposes a $500 million investment to expand the number of charter schools.

School choice expansion

A first-of-its-kind national school choice program is expected to launch in January of 2027.

The program, which was included in Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” would allow individuals to donate money in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 annually.

Those donations will fund scholarships for private school tuition, among other educational expenses.

“I’m not sure about the number of students that are going to be able to tap into the money. I know that they’re doing some research on that now,” McMahon said.

The catch is that states have to opt into the program. At least 31 states have agreed to participate so far, according to an Education Week tracker.

Some Democratic leaders say they’re waiting for the federal government to release guidance next month, in part to assess how the program may be used to support public school students. There’s also uncertainty around whether states will be able to implement their own guardrails.

McMahon argues that public school students will benefit from competition created by these “education freedom tax credits.”

“They could utilize these funds for after-school tutoring if they wanted to or other things that are not necessarily taking a child out of a school,” McMahon said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for parents to look at what might be available for them.”

Watch the full interview