A majority of American voters now stand behind President Trump’s bold move to dismantle the Department of Education, with 51% approving his executive order to begin shutting down the federal agency that has failed to improve America’s educational outcomes despite spending trillions of taxpayer dollars.
Quick Takes
- 51% of likely voters approve of President Trump’s decision to dismantle the Department of Education, with 37% strongly approving
- Support for dismantling the Department of Education shows a clear partisan divide with 78% of Republicans approving while 73% of Democrats disapprove
- Americans are split on whether the Department of Education has improved schools, with 41% believing it has helped and 41% believing it has not
- The Trump administration has already begun cutting the department’s workforce by half as part of the phase-out plan
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon is leading the effort to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to return educational control to states and parents
Voters Support Trump’s Bold Dismantling of Education Department
President Trump’s executive order to shut down the Department of Education has garnered strong support among American voters, with a new Rasmussen Reports survey showing 51% of likely voters approve of the decision. This approval rating includes an impressive 37% who strongly approve of the move, demonstrating substantial backing for one of the president’s key campaign promises. The Department of Education, established in 1979, has spent over $3 trillion with questionable results, as test scores and educational outcomes have continued to decline despite massive federal spending and bureaucratic expansion.
The American people’s support for eliminating the department reflects growing frustration with federal overreach in education and recognition that local control produces better outcomes for students. President Trump has long argued that education decisions should be made by parents, communities, and states rather than Washington bureaucrats. This view has resonated with voters who have watched American students fall behind their international peers despite ever-increasing federal education budgets and regulations.
Clear Partisan Divide on Education Department’s Future
Support for dismantling the Department of Education breaks sharply along party lines, reflecting the fundamental philosophical differences between Republicans and Democrats on the federal government’s role in education. According to Rasmussen Reports, 78% of Republicans approve of Trump’s executive order, while 73% of Democrats disapprove. Independent voters are evenly split, with 48% approving and 48% disapproving of the department’s elimination, highlighting the polarized nature of this issue among American voters.
“While 62 percent of Democrats think the department has made American schools better, 57 percent of Republicans believe it has made schools worse. Among votes not affiliated with either major party, 33 percent say the federal Department of Education has made American schools better, 44 percent think it’s made schools worse, and 17 percent believe it hasn’t made much difference,” according to Rasmussen Reports.
The divide reflects different visions for American education. Conservatives have long advocated for local control, parental rights, and educational freedom, while progressives typically favor federal oversight, standardization, and increased funding for public schools. President Trump’s decisive action aligns with his commitment to reducing federal overreach and returning power to the American people in line with conservative principles.
Implementation Already Underway
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has wasted no time in implementing President Trump’s directive, already cutting the department’s workforce by half as part of the phase-out plan. This decisive action demonstrates the administration’s commitment to fulfilling campaign promises and dramatically reducing the federal government’s role in education. McMahon has acknowledged that while complete elimination requires congressional action, the administration is taking all possible executive steps to reduce the department’s size, scope, and influence.
“Actually, it is, because that was the president’s mandate,” McMahon told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday. “His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished.”
Senate Republicans have already introduced legislation to formally abolish the department, aligning with the president’s executive directive. While the bill faces challenges in securing the 60 votes needed to overcome a Senate filibuster, the administration is moving forward with all measures within its executive authority. The strategic downsizing represents the first phase in what could become one of the most significant reductions in federal bureaucracy in decades.
Returning Education to Local Control
The elimination of the Department of Education aligns with President Trump’s vision of returning educational decisions to states, communities, and parents. This approach recognizes that local stakeholders better understand their students’ needs than distant federal bureaucrats. The move could potentially free states from burdensome federal regulations while allowing for greater innovation, competition, and educational choice, empowering parents to select the educational options that best serve their children’s unique needs and circumstances.
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right, and the Democrats know it’s right,” stated President Trump about the Department of Education.
Critics argue that dismantling the department could harm vulnerable students who benefit from federal programs. However, supporters counter that these programs could be administered more efficiently by other agencies or by states themselves, potentially improving outcomes while reducing administrative costs. The administration has emphasized that its goal is not to abandon America’s commitment to education but to transform how that commitment is fulfilled, with greater emphasis on results, accountability, and parental empowerment rather than bureaucratic process and federal control.
