A Rasmussen Reports poll reveals that 51% of likely voters support President Trump’s bold executive order to eliminate the Department of Education, with Republican voters overwhelmingly backing the move to dismantle the 46-year-old federal agency.
Key Takeaways
- 51% of likely American voters approve of President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, with 37% strongly approving
- Opinions break strongly along party lines with 78% of Republicans supporting elimination while 73% of Democrats oppose the move
- Senate Republicans have introduced companion legislation to officially dissolve the Department of Education
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon has been tasked with overseeing the department’s closure after Trump argued it has failed to improve American education
- The department has already begun downsizing, cutting its workforce by approximately 50 percent as the first step toward elimination
Majority Support for Department of Education Elimination
The Rasmussen Reports survey results demonstrate significant public backing for President Trump’s decision to begin dismantling the Department of Education, with 51% of voters approving the executive order. Among those supporters, enthusiasm runs high with 37% expressing strong approval for the move. This represents a decisive mandate for the administration’s education reform agenda as Trump delivers on his campaign promise to return control of education to states and local communities.
The poll also revealed a stark partisan divide in how Americans view the Department of Education’s effectiveness since its establishment in 1979. According to Rasmussen, “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.”
McMahon Leading Department’s Dismantling
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has wasted no time implementing the President’s directive, already cutting the department’s workforce by approximately 50 percent. These reductions represent the first concrete steps toward the agency’s eventual elimination, which has been a longstanding conservative goal since the department’s creation under President Jimmy Carter. The administration argues the department has failed to justify its existence through tangible improvements in American education despite spending trillions of taxpayer dollars.
“Actually, it is, because that was the president’s mandate,” McMahon told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Tuesday. “His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished.”
McMahon acknowledged the human impact of the decision while maintaining focus on the administration’s commitment to streamlining government. “But what we did today was to take the first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat, and that’s not to say that a lot of the folks — you know, it’s a humanitarian thing to a lot of the folks that are there. … They’re out of a job,” she added.
Congressional Action Required for Full Elimination
While President Trump’s executive order begins the process of dismantling the Department of Education, complete elimination requires congressional action. Senate Republicans have already introduced legislation aimed at officially dissolving the department, reflecting Trump’s campaign promise to return education authority to states, communities, and parents. The administration argues that despite the department spending over $3 trillion since its inception, American students continue to perform poorly on standardized tests compared to international peers.
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right, and the Democrats know it’s right.” – stated President Trump.
Despite the administration’s determination, complete elimination faces legislative challenges. Congress would need to pass a law to fully abolish the department, which could prove difficult given the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold. However, the administration has demonstrated it can significantly reduce the department’s operations and influence through executive action while building public support for its eventual elimination.
Opposition from Education Establishment
The National Education Association and other educational organizations have predictably opposed the department’s elimination. Critics argue that dismantling the Department of Education would impact services for disadvantaged students and potentially weaken civil rights protections in education. However, supporters counter that these functions could be transferred to other agencies or returned to state control, where they might be administered more efficiently and with greater accountability to local communities.
“The American people do not support these actions,” said NEA President Becky Pringle, “and educators, parents and other allies will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize so that all students have well-resourced schools.”
However, the Rasmussen poll results directly contradict Pringle’s assertion, demonstrating that a majority of American voters do indeed support the President’s actions. With Republicans overwhelmingly in favor (78% approval) and independent voters evenly split (48% approval/48% disapproval), the administration appears to have sufficient public backing to continue its efforts to return educational control to local communities and parents – fulfilling one of Trump’s key campaign promises.
