SCOTUS OKs Trump’s Education Department Layoffs: What Does the ED Do?
The Education Department oversees federal education policy and manages financial aid.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Updated on July 16.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is a federal agency that oversees federal education policy. At the higher education level, it is charged with managing federal financial aid and student loans.
Supreme Court OKs Trump’s order to close the ED
On July 14, the Supreme Court overruled a lower court injunction that would have prevented President Donald Trump from ordering mass layoffs at the ED. His administration is now free to carry on the firings of ED employees without approval from Congress.
On March 20, Trump issued an executive order to close the ED, as he had long-promised to do. The order shifts many functions of the department onto the states and other federal agencies. Since Trump's order, the ED workforce has been cut in half.
In a press release from the ED on March 21, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “Teachers will be unshackled from burdensome regulations and paperwork, empowering them to get back to teaching basic subjects. Taxpayers will no longer be burdened with tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs. K-12 and college students will be relieved of the drudgery caused by administrative burdens—and positioned to achieve success in a future career they love.”
Fully abolishing the ED will face legal opposition since the executive branch cannot eliminate a department on its own; it requires an act of Congress.
In March, Trump said that the ED’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio would be transferred to the Small Business Administration. He added that oversight of special education services and nutrition programs would be transferred to the Health and Human Services Department.
The federal government is expected to continue to carry out functions that are guaranteed under the law. Those functions include formula funding; federal student loans and Pell grants; funding for special needs students; as well as competitive grantmaking.
But how the department will continue to deliver its remaining services with a diminished staff is another story.
What does the Department of Education do?
The ED was established in 1979 and is currently headed by McMahon, who previously served as head of the Small Business Administration and was a former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The department’s official mission is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.”
The ED plays a vital role, in particular by providing federal funding and grants, but the department doesn’t exert local control over curriculum. In the U.S., delivering education falls on states and local governments. That includes establishing and maintaining schools, developing curriculum and setting graduation standards. Most funding for elementary and secondary education is from non-federal sources.
Some of the U.S. Department of Education’s responsibilities include:
Setting broad education policy that guides state education departments and local school districts.
Leading the national conversation on improving education and student outcomes.
Administering federal funding and grant programs for schools.
Collecting and analyzing education data such as student performance and graduation rates. Data can be found with the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES).
Facilitating federal student aid, including federal loans and grants for college students. Students can apply for aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Overseeing federal student loan repayment and forgiveness programs including Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF); borrower defense for defrauded borrowers; and income-driven repayment plans (IDR).
Overseeing college accreditation.
Providing states, districts, individual schools and teachers with educational resources. This includes financial support through Title I funding for low-income communities and TEACH Grants for help those pursuing careers in high-need education fields.
Improving access to preschool education through initiatives like Head Start and Early Learning grants.
Ensuring equal access to education and enforces anti-discrimination education laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title IX, which protects people from sex discrimination.
How to contact the Department of Education?
Here’s how to reach the U.S. Department of Education and learn more about federal student aid access and loan repayment:
Education Department website: ed.gov
General information: 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327)
Mailing address:
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
More information:
All ED state offices can be found here.
Federal Student Aid information
The Federal Student Aid office operates under the Education Department and is charged with managing all federal financial aid programs. Here’s how to reach the FSA office:
FSA Website studentaid.gov
FSA email: [email protected]
FSA phone: 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)
FSA contact centers here.
Submit a complaint here.
FAFSA FAQs here.
» MORE: Your guide to financial aid
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images News via Getty Images)