Surrounded by children seated at school desks in the White House on Thursday, Trump said “the US spends more money on education by far than any other country”, yet he added that students rank near the bottom of the list.

The White House stated that his administration would move to cut parts of the department that remain within legal boundaries.

The executive order is likely to face legal challenges, like many of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.

At the signing ceremony, Trump praised Linda McMahon, whom he appointed to lead the department, and expressed his hope she would be the last secretary of education.

He said he would find “something else” for her to do within the administration.

After Trump signed the order, Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy announced plans to bring legislation aimed at closing the department.

But Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority in the Senate, and closing a federal department would require 60 votes, making such a goal a longshot.

But even if the department is not formally closed, the Trump administration could decimate its funding and staff as it has done with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which subsequently stopped many of its programmes and humanitarian work.

The text of the executive order does not include specifics on what actions the administration will take and which programmes might be axed.

It orders McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the department and give authority of such matters to state and local governments.

It also directs her to ensure “the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely”.

Established in 1979, the education department administers student loans and runs programmes that help low-income students.

But Trump has accused it of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual, and political material.

Most US children attend public schools, which are free and run by local officials. A common misconception is that the federal education department operates US schools and sets curriculum, but that is primarily done by states and local districts.

And a relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools – about 13% – comes from federal funds. Most of the money comes from state and local taxes.

The agency also plays a prominent role in administering and overseeing the federal student loans used by millions of Americans to pay for higher education.

The policy – which will begin in the 2025 to 2026 academic year – will help “make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student”, Garber added.

The Ivy League school said the move will allow roughly 86% of US families to qualify for Harvard’s financial aid.

The median household income in the US was $80,000 in 2023, according to the US Census.

A number of elite universities in the US have taken similar steps in recent years, including the University of Pennsylvania and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which also have free tuition for families making less than $200,000.

Harvard had previously made all university costs, including housing and medical care, free for families with incomes under $85,000.

The average price of a private university in the US for those living on campus is $58,000 per academic year, according to the Education Data Initiative. The average cost of college has more than doubled since 2001, the research group found.

The financial aid expansions come as the Trump administration has threatened to pull funding from universities over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, research and coursework that they allege is a form of racial discrimination.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has said it is investigating 52 universities across the country for alleged “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities” as Trump attempts to get rid of DEI programmes.

The Trump administration has already pulled $400m in grants and contracts from Columbia University, alleging the Ivy League school failed to prevent antisemitism on campus as protests grew over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Last year, the US Supreme Court voted to overturn affirmative action. The practice favoured individuals in disadvantaged groups to help eliminate discrimination against marginalised applicants during the enrollment process and increase diversity among students.

Universities across the US have reported a decline in racial diversity since the court’s decision.

[BBC]