The United States’ thirty-ninth president, Jimmy Carter, passed away last year on Dec. 29 at age 100. His time in office was defined by rising energy costs, inflation, and global conflicts, such as the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Mourning his recent passing, the nation has reflected upon Carter’s political career and accomplishments, like pardoning Vietnam draft evaders, mediating talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and putting an end to the Israeli-Arab war in 1979.

Perhaps one of his most lasting legacies is the Department of Education (DOE). In October of 1979, Carter signed into law the Department of Education Organization Act. The DOE is responsible for overseeing the nation’s education system and is divided into four divisions: elementary and secondary education, higher education, research and innovation, and administration. The mission of the DOE is to ensure students at all levels receive equal opportunities, by enforcing federal education laws, introducing the financial aid program, distributing funds to impoverished and disabled students, and addressing ongoing educational issues.

After almost 46 years, the DOE is at risk of being dismantled. During Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he vowed to shut down this agency early on in his second term, returning educational powers to the states. However, this sentiment is not new among the Republican Party. In 1980, President Ronald Reagan called for the abolishment of the DOE. Five years later, Reagan backed down from this goal, as it received little support from Congress.

Currently, many Republicans remain staunch supporters of the elimination of the DOE. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds (R), introduced the “Returning Education Back To Our States Act.” In a statement on Fox News, Rounds stated, “The federal Department of Education has never educated a single student, and it’s long past time to end this bureaucratic Department that causes more harm than good,” and that “Local school boards and state Departments of Education know best what their students need, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.” Rounds’ bill outlines a plan to transfer programs and student aid such as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides disabled students across the nation special education and additional support for those students, to the Department of Health and Human Services. Student loan programs and federal financial aid grants will be transferred to the Department of the Treasury, which has the power to allot block grants to states for primary, secondary, and higher education, as well as withhold these grants.

Another politician in favor of the termination of the DOE, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie (R), introduced the H.R.899 in 2023 that would put states and local communities in charge of curriculum. Massie believes parents should also have input, stating, “Parents have the right to choose the most appropriate educational opportunity for their children, including home school, public school, or private school.” This bill failed though, as all Democrats and 60 House Republicans voted against it.

Due to the ongoing failures of abolishing the DOE, experts who spoke with “Inside Higher Ed” stated that the likelihood of Trump achieving this is “implausible.” They stated that it is more likely that Trump and the now Republican-dominated Congress will decrease the DOE’s funding, particularly financial aid programs, as well as reframe Title IV eligibility requirements.

As of 2024, there are 19.2 million students enrolled in either a community college or university in the United States and 56 percent of these students rely on financial aid. The “Inside Higher Ed” article highlighted specific program cuts, “Current Pell funding is probably safe; there’s too much political downside for lawmakers to take direct benefits away from their constituents. But other federal college-access initiatives—from work-study to academic supports like Upward Bound to debt-relief programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness—could be on the cutting block.”

During his inauguration speech on Jan. 20, Trump touched on the DOE, stating “We have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves — in many cases, to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.”

The next day, Trump revoked the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” executive order signed 60 years ago by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The act protected individuals from discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and ethnicity.

While it is too soon to determine the extent to which this may affect K-12 and higher-ed students, scholars worry that this reversal may have detrimental effects on the educational system. In an “Inside Higher Ed” article written by Jessica Blake, Brenden Cantwell, a professor at Michigan State University was quoted saying, “What I see is a broad attempt to remove everything that is associated with long-standing institutional efforts to desegregate the U.S. government and institutions like colleges and universities that are entangled with the government through federal financial aid.” With this reversal, underrepresented K-12 students may face difficulties accessing education, as well as higher-ed students who may be barred from applying to scholarships that support minorities and women.