Trump Pushes Supreme Court to Allow Department of Education Overhaul

The Trump administration has taken its battle to restructure the Department of Education straight to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn a lower court’s injunction that’s currently blocking their plans. This legal roadblock, as the administration argues in their filing, is like having a district court judge play an unofficial Cabinet member, preventing the executive branch from making necessary cuts or terminations.

President Trump has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the Department of Education, pushing for a major overhaul or even a complete shutdown. When he appointed Linda McMahon as Education Secretary, he didn’t mince words, tasking her with essentially working herself out of a job. Trump points to dismal performance metrics as justification, and the numbers back him up. The latest Nation’s Report Card reveals a troubling reality: 70% of fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading, a decline from the already underwhelming 2022 results, with no significant improvement in reading scores since 1992.

But the road to dismantling the department hasn’t been smooth. Beyond legal hurdles, political opposition is fierce. Earlier this year, in February, a group of Democrats attempted to access the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., only to be turned away by an employee. The incident sparked heated criticism, with Democrats accusing the administration of stonewalling and lacking transparency.

This clash over the future of education in America is far from over. As the Supreme Court weighs in, the stakes couldn’t be higher for students, educators, and the very structure of federal oversight in education.