PRINT AS PDF
On March 3, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon spoke to the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) staff upon her confirmation (attached). Her remarks make clear that the Department will very likely be eliminated.
- She stated that President Trump had charged the Department with “accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat… at the Department of Education—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly.”
- McMahon told her audience that there would be “an effective transfer of educational oversight to the states.”
- She referred to the mission as a “last chance” to have a positive impact and appealed to her employees to participate in “one final, unforgettable public service.”
- She described the mission as a “final mission”, not “enduring mission”, implying that it is a temporary role.
Elimination of the DOE would likely require legislation, but the dismantling of USAID and its reconstitution in the U.S. Department of State could provide an alternative approach that the Administration might pursue. Even if the DOE is not eliminated, its role could be dramatically reduced.
The transition to a much smaller DOE or its outright elimination will create significant uncertainty for colleges and universities, including uncertainty concerning federal reporting requirements.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
