The United States Department of Education is about to change under Donald Trump‘s administration. As the president vowed during his 2024 election, he intends to “drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing,” the 78-year-old said while adding that he wants to “move education back to the states,” according to CNN. Should the changes proceed, some are wondering how they could affected current employees who work in the department.
After winning the election, Trump nominated former WWE co-founder Linda McMahon to be the next U.S. sectary of education, pending Senate approval.
To learn more about the Department of Education’s purpose and how many employees it has, keep reading.
What Is the Department of Education?
The U.S. Department of Education is a cabinet-level agency in the government. According to the department’s website, its focus is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.”
“During Career and Technical Education Month, we reaffirm our belief in excellence by putting America first and investing in the best training and retraining opportunities that will result in a stronger workforce and a booming economy.” — @POTUS
America is back! 🇺🇸
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) February 3, 2025
What Does the Department of Education Do?
The department oversees several aspects of education in America, including the following: policies on federal financial aid used for education, collecting data and conducting relevant research on schools, focusing public attention on educational issues and prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education for all students.
Per the department’s official website, education is a state and local responsibility across the U.S., and 92 percent of funds for elementary and secondary education comes from the states, while just 8 percent originates from the federal level.
How Many Employees Does the Department of Education Have?
According to NPR, the Department of Education employees around 4,400 people and has an annual budget of $79 billion. The outlet further reported that the Trump administration put “dozens” of department staff on paid leave, just as he did with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) workers in the government earlier this year.
Can Trump Dismantle the Department of Education?
Trump signed multiple executive orders when he took office for the second time in January 2025. In a forthcoming action, the president plans to make significant cuts to the department, according to multiple outlets. While he can modify the department, removing it entirely would take an act of Congress. The department was established by an act of Congress in 1979.
As part of the changes within the department of education, Trump can likely cut certain programs that were not created by Congress, according to NPR.