Amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, Education Secretary Linda McMahon pointed out that the shutdown demonstrates that her department is not necessary. As the partial government shutdown persists amid partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C., Education Secretary Linda McMahon argued that the crisis has exposed the unnecessary nature of federal oversight in education. Schools across the country continue to function normally, with teachers paid and students attending classes, reinforcing her claim that the Department of Education is redundant. McMahon’s comments align with President Donald Trump’s long-standing vision to dismantle the federal department, which he has consistently criticized as an overreach of power. Trump’s executive order, signed last year, aimed to shift core education programs like Pell Grants and Title I funding to other agencies while dismantling the department itself. However, the shutdown has highlighted that even in the absence of federal funding, states and local communities can manage these responsibilities effectively, as schools remain operational. McMahon also defended recent funding arrangements, which ensure that critical programs like special education remain unaffected, while pushing for a broader reorganization of the education sector.
McMahon argued that the shutdown has shown that the federal government’s involvement in education is not essential. She emphasized that the Department of Education’s role is unnecessary, as states and local communities can manage these responsibilities effectively. ‘The Democrat government shutdown has forced agencies to evaluate what federal responsibilities are truly critical for the American people,’ McMahon noted in a post on X. ‘Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal. It confirms what the President has said: the federal Department of Education is unnecessary, and we should return education to the states.’ This statement underscores the administration’s belief that federal control over education is an impediment rather than a support for American schools. McMahon further stated that the Department has taken additional steps to better reach American students and families and root out the education bureaucracy that has burdened states and educators with unnecessary oversight. She also reiterated that no education funding is impacted by the RIF, including funding for special education, and that the clean CR supported by the Trump administration will provide states and schools the funding they need to support all students.
Trump’s executive order, which was signed earlier this year, aimed to dismantle the Department of Education by shifting its core functions to other agencies while allowing for the closure of the department itself. The president argued that, beyond these core necessities, his administration would take all lawful steps to shut down the department. ‘The Secretary of Education shall, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,’ the executive order declared. This language has been interpreted by critics as a direct call to eliminate the department, despite Trump’s insistence that essential programs would remain intact. McMahon’s recent comments on the government shutdown have amplified these calls, framing the crisis as an opportunity to demonstrate that the federal government’s role in education is unneeded and should be restructured to allow for greater state and local control.