Experts Reveal The 'Real Damage' Trump's DOE Cuts Will Do To Our Schools

“This executive order isn’t the real danger."

As kids hopped off buses across the nation Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, which was established in 1979. Before signing, he turned to children sitting at school desks on either side of the podium asking, “Should I do this?”

“Sounds strange … but everyone knows it’s right,” Trump said. “We have to get our children educated. We are not doing well with the world of education in this country, and haven’t in a long time,” adding that students in public elementary and middle schools score “worse in reading today than when the department opened, by a lot.”

Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise to eliminate the department. In February, he called the Department of Education a “big con job.” The department represents 4% of the U.S. budget, spending $268 billion in 2024.

Completely eliminating the department will require Congress’ approval. But Trump has reduced the department’s workforce by half already, which could make it impossible to carry out its basic functions anyway. “We’ve cut the number of bureaucrats in half,” he said at the signing.

“This executive order isn’t the real danger. The real danger is what has already been happening,” said Arielle Fodor, better known as Mrs. Frazzled, an education advocate and former teacher with 2 million followers across social media. “The order itself is political theater. It’s designed to signal to Trump’s base that he’s taking action … frankly, it’s designed to freak those of us out who care about public education and its future.”