Polling shows a narrow majority of U.S. voters approve of President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE).
The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 51 percent of likely U.S. voters approve of Trump’s order, along with 37 percent who “strongly approve.” At the same time, 47 percent disapprove, including 35 percent who “strongly disapprove.”
Respondents are evenly divided on whether or not the DOE, which was created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, has made American schools better, 41 percent to 41 percent. Thirteen percent do not believe the department has made much of a difference.
Unsurprisingly, those who believe the DOE has made schools better are more likely to disapprove of Trump’s order (76 percent), while those who think the department has stunted American education are supportive of its end (83 percent).
Opinions about DOE and its elimination are “largely divided along party lines,” Rasmussen Reports found.
“While 62 percent of Democrats think the department has made American schools better, 57 percent of Republicans believe it has made schools worse. Among votes not affiliated with either major party, 33 percent say the federal Department of Education has made American schools better, 44 percent think it’s made schools worse, and 17 percent believe it hasn’t made much difference,” according to the survey report.
“Similarly, while 78 percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s executive order to begin shutting down the federal Department of Education, 73 percent of Democrats disapprove. Unaffiliated voters are evenly divided, with 48 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving of Trump shutting down the department,” the report continues.
Throughout his campaign, President Trump pledged to eliminate the Department of Education and send power back to states, communities, and parents. The department was created to help states establish thriving school systems, but the Trump administration argues it has not lived up to its intended purpose.
President Trump officially signed an executive order on March 20 mandating the dismantling of the department.
The White House noted at the time that the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion “with virtually nothing to show for it” since its inception and said spending per pupil has increased more than 245 percent during that period with “virtually no measurable improvement in student achievement.”
The White House also pointed to recent dismal results from the Nation’s Report Card, which found that math and reading scores are at the lowest level in decades, six-in-ten fourth graders and nearly three-quarters of eighth graders are not proficient in math, seven-in-ten fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading, and 40 percent of fourth grade students don’t meet basic reading levels.
At the same time, standardized test scores have not meaningfully improved in decades, and U.S. students rank 28 out of 37 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member-countries in math.
While it takes an act of Congress to officially disband the Department of Education, President Trump has tasked Education Secretary Linda McMahon with winding down the department, joking ahead of her confirmation that he wants her “to put herself out of a job.” Ahead of signing the executive order winding down the department, Trump again joked about McMahon that “hopefully she will be our last secretary of education.”
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right, and the Democrats know it’s right,” he said at the signing. “And I hope they’re going to be voting for it, because ultimately it may come before them.”
Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation, the department terminated nearly $1 billion in grants and slashed millions in wasteful spending and DEI projects, eliminated 2,300+ woke webpages and related materials, and launched investigations into states, school districts, and universities accused of racial preference policies and allowing males to play on female sports teams.
Soon after her confirmation, the department announced that it is reducing its workforce by half in an effort to streamline the department and cut down on unnecessary bureaucracy.
Last week, Senate Republicans formally introduced a bill that would eliminate the Department of Education.
The Rasmussen Reports survey was conducted with 1,088 U.S. likely voters between March 30 and April 1. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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