McMahon ordered to dismantle Education Department despite lacking statutory authority

On Mar. 1, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the federal Department of Education (PBS News).

The White House 2026 budget proposal would cut the maximum Pell Grant award by 23%, reducing it from $7,395 to $5,710—a $1,685 reduction (EdSource).

The proposed budget slashes $18 billion from the National Institutes of Health and nearly $5 billion from the National Science Foundation (Inside Higher Ed).

Funding for tribal colleges and universities would be cut by 90%, jeopardizing institutions serving Indigenous students (ProPublica).

TRIO programs—10 federal outreach and student services initiatives with over $1 billion in annual funding—would be fully eliminated (EdSource).

Federal Work-Study funding would be reduced by roughly 80%, and colleges would be required to cover 75% of student wages instead of the current 25% (NPR; EdSource).

The budget eliminates AmeriCorps, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (Inside Higher Ed).

Title I funding for schools serving low-income students would remain level at just over $18 billion (NPR).

Eighteen smaller education programs that currently receive $6.5 billion would be consolidated into a single grant capped at $2 billion (NPR).