The White House on Thursday pulled the expected signing of the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, multiple sources tell ABC News.
A draft of the executive order called on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate a department closure by taking all necessary steps “permitted by law,” sources had earlier told ABC News.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted a news report saying it was “fake news” that Trump was expected to sign the order on Thursday. She said he is not signing it.
Behind the scenes, there was concern among top administration officials about the blowback the order would receive and the lack of messaging in place ahead of the rollout.
Specifically, how the administration would answer questions about how the executive order would impact the school lunch program along with other programs that could no longer exist.
Linda McMahon testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on her nomination to be Education Secretary at Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 13, 2025.
Tierney L. Cross/Reuters
The education community is vowing to press forward in its push to preserve the Department of Education.
“This is a tremendous victory for those of us who are standing up and holding the line and pushing back against the endless chaos that we are seeing from the Trump administration,” an education leader told ABC News.
The education leader, who represents parents and families across the country, stressed that Americans are not going to stand by as the Trump administration prepares to dismantle the agency that impacts millions of students.
“These EOs are not dictates from a king and we are going to challenge him using every resource we can, including the courts,” the education leader said.
Department of Education headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14, 2025.
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP
The education leader said that the blowback has Trump “shook.” And, hundreds of parents and even some school districts across the country are preparing to trigger a massive legal fight if the expected executive order is signed, according to the education leader.
“This constant state of chaos that he has American families in is unacceptable and we are going to continue to fight him every step of the way,” the education leader said.
Education experts suggested that shuttering the Department of Education could gut public education funding and disproportionately impact high-need students across the country who rely on statutorily authorized programs, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title I, which provides funding for low-income families.
An end to the department could also leave billions of dollars’ worth of funds, scholarships and grants hanging in the balance for millions of students in the U.S.
An order to dismantle the Department of Education would require congressional approval; any proposed legislation would likely fail without 60 Senate votes.
McMahon has previously acknowledged she would need Congress to carry out the president’s vision to close the department she has been tapped to lead.
“We’d like to do this right,” she said during her confirmation hearing last month, adding: “That certainly does require congressional action.”
In a department-wide email on Monday, the newly sworn-in secretary said her final mission is to do a “historic overhaul” of the agency that cuts red tape and restores the American education system.
“My vision is aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states and empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” McMahon’s memo said.
Dozens of Department of Education employees have already been placed on paid administrative leave, pressured to retire or laid off in the first few months of Trump’s second term.