President Donald Trump suggested the Education Department will not exist for much longer, saying he wants to close it “immediately” and calling it a “big con job.”
“So they ranked the top 40 countries in the world,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked No. 1 in department costs per pupil, so we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”
It is unclear what ranking list Trump is referring to, but the 37 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development do participate in the Program for International Student Assessment, which has its latest results from 2022. However, the United States does not rank last in any of the subjects. The lowest ranking the U.S. received was in math at a placement of 28th.
Trump also appeared to be incorrect in saying that the U.S. ranked the highest in spending per pupil. The U.S. ranks sixth in spending at the primary level and at the secondary level spends 22% higher than the OECD average but still below at least seven countries, including Norway, Austria, Germany, and South Korea.
The president is expected to sign an executive order that would take steps to eliminate the functions of the Education Department. The order would likely come in two parts: First, it would direct the secretary of education to create a plan to downsize the department through executive action, and second, Trump would push Congress to pass the legislation necessary to eliminate the department.
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According to Frederick M. Hess, senior fellow and director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, it is “unlikely” that the Senate would secure a supermajority of 60 votes needed to outright abolish the department.
Instead, Congress would likely need to pass a reconciliation bill that would defund several programs and bureaucratic positions. This would only require 50 votes in the Senate.
On Monday, the Department of Government Efficiency cut $881 million in Education Department contracts and $101 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion training grants.
