Former President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to dissolve the Department of Education and shift control over education back to the states if he were to be reelected. During an X Spaces interview with Elon Musk, Trump highlighted that United States’ educational scores have been deteriorating in comparison to other developed nations despite it being the highest spending country on education per pupil.
I want to close the Department of Education — move education back to the states…” Trump told Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and owner of X/Twitter.
According to Trump, allowing each state to autonomously govern its educational system would reduce costs while fostering a healthy competition between the states. He argues that if each state were given control over its education system, some might perform poorly but would be compelled to improve due to the negative impact on their reputation. However, he predicts that around 30-35 states would see significant improvement in educational standards and at a fraction of current costs.
Elon Musk agreed with Trump’s point about competition driving better educational standards, suggesting it could also encourage Americans to choose where they live based on the quality of education offered by each state.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has previously shared Trump’s view on dissolving or reducing the power of the Department of Education. In 2016, Trump stated that the department “can be largely eliminated.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) commended Trump for endorsing the idea of abolishing the Department of Education in a post to X on Tuesday, and reiterated his call to pass his one-sentence bill, HR899, which would terminate the department. Massie has introduced this bill in each Congress since it was first proposed in 2017, emphasizing its brevity as a selling point for its simplicity and effectiveness.
In closing, creation of the U.S. Department of Education was a failed re-election ploy of Jimmy Carter, but now we are stuck with what amounts to a national school board composed of 4,000 bureaucrats,” Massie continued. Let’s empower teachers and parents by passing HR 899 to End the Dept of Ed.
This proposal comes amid ongoing debates about the role and power of the Department of Education in determining what and how children should learn. Critics argue that the department acts as a national school board, comprised of thousands of bureaucrats, which undermines local control over education. Proponents believe it plays an essential role in ensuring educational standards are met nationwide.
The idea of dismantling or reducing the power of the Department of Education continues to gain momentum among those who believe that state and local authorities should have more autonomy in making decisions about their education systems. As Trump’s proposal gains traction, it remains to be seen whether this approach will lead to better educational outcomes for students across the United States.