A bold vow to dismantle the US Department of Education was made early in a president’s second term, with plans to eliminate the agency swiftly. Officials later revealed that the effort stalled after months of internal debate, with the department’s operations continuing despite the initial push. The shift highlighted tensions between executive priorities and bureaucratic realities, leaving education policy in a state of uncertainty. Details on the behind-the-scenes discussions offer insight into how major administrative overhauls unfold—or fail to materialize.
In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, he made a blunt promise about the US Department of Education: “We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible.” In a matter of months, 40 ...
