Angelo Gambogi The Department of Education (DOE) has always been a hot topic in America’s politics since its establishment in late 1979. Since its origin, it has been bombarded by Republican Presidential candidates and used as a tool to get them elected. However, it has not been taken down yet, or for the foreseeable future. So why has it faced relentless opposition, even though its purpose is inherently important?
First, what does the Department of Education even do? Well, for one, it does not affect the curriculum. So when the Trump administration claims that the Department of Education is “indoctrinating the youth with racial, sexual, and political ideologies,” that is a false statement. Instead, the Department of Education oversees programs that support students who face unfair challenges: low-income students, students with special needs, and more. Not only that, but the Department provides funding for schools and their teachers, and gives crucial research for schools.
One might ask why many Republicans want the Department of Education abolished. According to the Cato Institute, which is often cited as a libertarian organization, the DOE is unconstitutional, ineffective (we will get into that later), incompetent, unnecessary, and expensive. These are beliefs held by many libertarians and republicans.
However, what lies behind all of this is that most Republicans and Libertarians want a smaller government. Contrary to what the aforementioned groups believe, the DOE has made many improvements to education, such as Title I, which follows the principle of ESEA (Every Student Exceeds Act), which has been distributed to 63% of public and public charter schools. This distributed nearly $17 million to schools, agencies, and programs to aid students.
The money given by Title I is given mainly in high-poverty schools, which is an aid to the constant problem of low-income neighborhoods receiving inequivalent education compared to higher-income neighborhoods.
Another important part of the DOE is the grants it awards to schools, funded by federal money. In 2024, the DOE was granted $150 billion. In which nearly $47 billion was given to students in need of financial assistance, whether for special education, low-income status, or adult rehabilitation. Another $55 billion was granted to schools that were in shambles after the last effects of COVID-19. Some other notable grants the DOE gave were $260 million for research, which could have been more. Still, the Trump administration canceled $900 million in research funding and $33 billion in aid for first-time college students.
However, what may be more concerning is the current state of the DOE. When President Trump was elected in 2024, he chose Linda McMahon as the Secretary of Education. If that last name sounds familiar, it might be because of her husband, Vince McMahon. And in case you were wondering whether she has any experience in education, the answer is no. Her track record includes: lying about having a degree in education to get on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year(according to multiple News Sources including the Washington Post and BBC), co-founding the America First Policy (A policy to push the agenda of Trump after he lost in 2020), confusing A1 with AI, and has been quoted with saying that she will “learn on the job” in reference to her position as the Secretary of Education.
It is nearly impossible to see why one would want to disband the DOE. When one looks at what the Department has done for the country: patching up the imbalance between low-income and high-income education, providing programs for special-need students, and giving grants to students rising to the collegiate level. It is unavoidable that the Department of Education is vital to the students of this nation, and what the Trump administration has done, and possibly influenced, has set back the DOE for miles.
Angelo Gambogi is a member of the Multimedia Journalism class.
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