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Abolish U.S. Department of Education, return authority to states
“We will ... return authority over education to the States and local communities.”
Promise broken Promise Date: 20 Mar 2025 Promise Deadline: 20 Jan 2029
Promise Details

Trump pledged to dismantle or significantly downsize the U.S. Department of Education and shift control of education funding and policy back to states and localities. The proposal assumed massive reorganization, transfer of student loans, elimination of federal oversight programs, and closure of federal education programs. While executive actions attempted cuts, layoffs and restructuring (e.g. workforce reduction, reassignment of student loan functions) have been initiated, the department still legally remains. Congress has not yet abolished it, and many functions remain under federal purview. The promise is partially attempted but far from fully delivered; thus considered broken or unfulfilled so far.

Why it is broken

March 2025 plan proposed abolishing DOE via consolidation and workforce cuts, but Congress controls the department’s existence under the 1979 law. Reuters and NPR note only limited downsizing occurred; all major programs remain active. Legal and political barriers made full abolition impossible. Promise rated broken.

Sources

The information presented in this promise is aggregated from various publicly available sources. We do not claim ownership or guarantee the accuracy of the content. All data is collected and cross-validated from multiple independent sources. To read more about this promise, please view the source links below:

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