Accessibility links
(dot) Gov: What Trump's Plans Mean For The Department of Education : 1A You've probably heard President-elect Donald Trump say he plans to close the Department of Education.

It's the smallest of the cabinet-level federal agencies, with just over 4,000 employees. Its 2024 budget was $275 billion. That's 4 percent of all federal funding.

Trump's plans to completely shutter the department are unlikely to happen. He may, however, make big changes to it, shifting many of its responsibility to other agencies.

But what are those responsibilities exactly? And who carries them out? As part of our series on federal workers, dot Gov, we're diving into the Department of Education today to talk about its functions and what the future president's plans for it mean for the American people.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

1A

(dot) Gov: What Trump's Plans Mean For The Department of Education

(dot) Gov: What Trump's Plans Mean For The Department of Education

Listen · 35:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1224599766/1264711705" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Enlarge this image

The US Department of Education building.Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images

The US Department of Education building.Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images

Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images

You've probably heard President-elect Donald Trump say he plans to close the Department of Education.

It's the smallest of the cabinet-level federal agencies, with just over 4,000 employees. Its 2024 budget was $275 billion. That's 4 percent of all federal funding.

Trump's plans to completely shutter the department are unlikely to happen. He may, however, make big changes to it, shifting many of its responsibility to other agencies.

But what are those responsibilities exactly? And who carries them out? As part of our series on federal workers, dot Gove, we're diving into the Department of Education today to talk about its functions and what the future president's plans for it mean for the American people.

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.