WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — The Department of Education (DOE) is at the center of a growing political battle after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin dismantling the agency.
While Congress holds the ultimate authority to abolish it, the move has sparked concerns about the future of education. Trump has said the department is doing “no good,” and his administration along with Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has already started gutting it.
SEE ALSO | Trump dismantles Department of Education with executive action
Two rallies are planned for Friday in front of the Department of Education in southwest Washington, D.C. Multiple organizations are expected to gather at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., making their voices heard in response to the order.
Outside the DOE on Thursday, groups were already protesting the decision.
“It is devastating,” Stella Lovelady, a current student, told 7News. “Both of my parents are teachers. My sister is a high school student. I am a student at a public university. The Department of Education is crucial to my family.”
Despite the backlash, the White House assured Americans that student loans and Pell grants will continue, and funding for low-income schools under the Disabilities Education Act and Title 1 will not be impacted.
SEE ALSO | DMV schools join national protest against Trump’s education cuts, advocate for funding
In response, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer of the American Civil Liberties Union, issued the following statement:
“Once again, President Trump is abusing his power and putting the fundamental civil rights of millions of students at grave risk — threatening everything from racial and gender equality to the rights of disabled students. No president has the authority to single-handedly strip away the rights of children in America’s schools. This attack on the Education Department is an attack on the civil rights and liberties of students that has defined its mission for decades.
The Education Department has a congressionally mandated duty to ensure the best education for all our children. As part of that responsibility, the department must ensure that students with disabilities can learn and thrive alongside their peers, that educational equity is upheld for children of all races, that religious freedom is protected, and that protecting against sex-based discrimination, including against LGBTQ students, remains a priority in schools nationwide. But President Trump refuses to accept this mandate. Instead, he is attempting an end-run around Congress to dismantle the Education Department itself — undermining its ability to safeguard these critical protections and weaponizing the department to carry out a deeply unpopular political agenda.”
