Dear Friend,
The White House is expected to issue an executive order directing Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” What does that mean for American Atheists? Let’s take a look.
What does the Department of Education do?
The agency oversees the federal student loan program; distributes approximately 10% of public school funding (the rest comes from state and local governments); runs programs to assist low-income students and students with disabilities; conducts research, gathers data, and makes recommendations for reform; and works to protect civil rights, prohibit discrimination, and ensure equal access in schools.
The Department does not oversee curricula in K-12 public schools. In fact, federal statute explicitly prohibits Department officials from imposing “any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system.” That responsibility already belongs to state legislatures, state agencies, and locally elected school boards.
How big is it?
The Department of Education has the smallest staff of any cabinet-level department with just over 4,000 workers, and its budget of $238 billion accounts for less than 2% of the total federal budget.
Can the President shut it down?
The Constitution does not grant the president the power to unilaterally shut down the Department. That would require an act of Congress, which has already been introduced, and bicameral approval, which is unlikely. Even so, the Trump administration could pretty effectively dismantle the agency by defunding its programs and shifting its operations to less-equipped federal offices.
What happens next?
While there are some unknowns, including the details of the order, when it will be signed, and the outcome of any legal challenges, the consequences we can expect will be very harmful to public schools and the students they serve.
According to one analysis, defunding Title I “would decimate more than 180,000 teacher positions,” which would seriously undermine efforts to recruit and retain qualified educators, especially in low-income communities. Shifting oversight of critical functions, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the Office for Civil Rights, to other agencies that lack the necessary expertise and resources will threaten millions of students who receive special education and would leave millions more vulnerable to discrimination based on race, gender, disability, and religion.
“Returning education to the states” would also undermine the religious freedom of tens of millions of Americans. In our 2025 State of the Secular States report, we found half of the states are failing to protect religious equality, and the bulk of harmful legislation targets public schools.
To name just one example, a bill in Alabama proposes allowing the state to withhold 25% or more of a district’s funding for refusing to force students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and a Judeo-Christian prayer. In other words, if a teacher in Birmingham upholds an atheist student’s First Amendment rights, the entire city’s schools could lose up to $40 million per year.
What do Americans think about this?
Given that 90% of students and 95% of students with disabilities attend a public school, it’s unsurprising 65% of adults, regardless of political affiliation, believe the federal government spends too little on education. And considering that voters have never once approved of vouchers, it’s clear this presidential administration has not been given a mandate to defund, dismantle, or privatize public education.
Then who does want this, and why?
There have been calls to abolish the Department of Education since Congress established it in 1979. Then as now, the primary arguments are race, religion, and deregulation. You might call it White Christian commodification.
During the original “Make America Great Again” campaign, and as part of a broader backlash to Brown v. Board, Ronald Reagan popularized the idea of “reverse discrimination,” which he considered a consequence of the federal government’s involvement in education and ending racial segregation. Nearly half a century later, President Trump and the architects of Project 2025 have also used racially charged rhetoric to disparage the agency, alleging it “promotes racial discrimination” by “teaching white children to be ashamed of themselves and their country” and injecting “racist, anti-American, ahistorical propaganda into America’s classrooms.” (Again, the Department does not control curriculum.)
Segregationist sentiment also inspired vouchers and other school privatization schemes. Today, the Catholic lobby is one of the most powerful proponents of vouchers, which already divert billions of taxpayer dollars to private, mostly sectarian schools. Public funding of religious schools is the goal, according to Project 2025, the Education Secretary, and the President.
And it’s a goal that’s long been shared by Christian Reconstructionists, Christian Nationalists, the New Apostolic Reformation, and other once-fringe movements seeking to impose their beliefs on us all. Dictators and dominionists know the education system is the single most important means to their end. It’s because public education is a foundational pillar of democracy that it must be brought down and made to submit. Out of their grasp, education threatens their consolidation of power. (We free and critical thinkers don’t tend to be very compliant.) But under their control, the White Christian commodifiers can segregate, indoctrinate, and profit to their hearts’ content.
What can we do?
In such a chaotic news cycle, it’s imperative we all stay informed and grounded. Our Action Alerts help let you know when we’re tracking an important bill in your state, and they make it easy to take action. Our Policy Team is working every day to stop dangerous legislation, and our Legal Team is filing amicus briefs to defend Americans’ First Amendment rights.
I assure you one of our top priorities at American Atheists is defending nonsectarian public schools and opposing the diversion of public dollars to religious schools. It’s just one of the topics we’ll be discussing at our upcoming National Convention in Minneapolis. Register today, and I hope to see you there!
In solidarity,
Nick Fish
President
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507 and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
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