U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon faces a paradoxical mandate: to oversee President Donald Trump’s long-promised dismantling of the Department of Education while simultaneously using the agency’s power to leave a lasting ideological mark on American schools.
As part of the administration’s agenda, McMahon has moved to reduce staff, shift core functions to other government agencies, and tie federal education funding to initiatives promoting patriotism, prayer, and civic education. The department has announced partnerships with conservative organizations, including Turning Point USA and the America First Policy Institute, to spearhead teacher summits, state tours, and resource development in the lead-up to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Critics inside the agency describe McMahon as primarily carrying out Trump’s directives rather than shaping independent policy, pointing to her rare presence at the department’s Washington headquarters and her background in business and entertainment rather than education. Supporters, however, say she is effectively executing Trump’s bold mission to restore education control to states, enforce school choice, and combat antisemitism and discrimination on campuses.
The department has already resumed collections on defaulted student loans after a five-year pause, advanced funding threats against universities accused of failing to address antisemitism, and pledged new guidance on prayer in schools after Trump accused educators of promoting “anti-religious propaganda.” Officials insist these efforts fall within the president’s vision to return fairness, merit, and safety to classrooms.
Observers note the tension between Trump’s plan to eliminate federal oversight and the administration’s use of the Education Department to influence school culture and curriculum. Legal experts argue that while federal law prohibits Washington from controlling curriculum, the government is indirectly exerting pressure through funding. McMahon, for her part, has acknowledged that Trump’s directives often come suddenly, describing herself as a “good soldier” carrying out orders, even when they surprise her.
Outside groups aligned with the department’s civic education push are unapologetic about their mission. Turning Point USA pledges to “reclaim” and “restore God as the foundation of education,” while Hillsdale College and PragerU provide conservative course material to counter what they call dominant left-leaning ideology. The America First Policy Institute, leading the initiative, has praised McMahon’s business-like approach, saying she has both dismantled bureaucracy and elevated patriotic priorities within schools.
Policy experts say the pace of change has been striking. “What the Department of Education is today is fundamentally unlike what it was like 12 months ago,” said Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute. “Somehow they’ve managed to push the biggest changes in a half century to the department and get remarkably little blowback on the secretary.”
While lawsuits and political battles are likely as the dismantling progresses, Trump and McMahon appear committed to reshaping the role of federal education before the department itself is consigned to history.