President Donald Trump’s latest executive order to dismantle the Department of Education isn’t just a headline—it’s a political warning shot.
Framed as a push to “return power to the states,” Trump’s March 21 directive demands the department take “all necessary steps” to wind itself down. His administration argues the department is bloated with bureaucracy, fueled by liberal ideology, and ultimately responsible for declining academic outcomes.
But the implications go far deeper than red tape. This move comes during a volatile moment on American campuses, as students and faculty speak out against Israel’s assault on Gaza—and face mounting pressure for doing so.
Together, the education order and this campus crackdown reflect a larger effort to silence dissent, erode civil rights protections, and control what can be said—or even taught—in schools and universities.
A Political Power Play Disguised as Reform
Trump claims the Department of Education is useless. “It’s doing us no good,” he said at the signing ceremony, blaming it for poor test scores and liberal overreach.
The order keeps some essential functions—Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell Grants, and aid for students with disabilities—but slashes oversight elsewhere. Staff are already being cut in half. Civil rights enforcement is being gutted. The fate of student loan management, a $1.6 trillion portfolio, remains unclear and contradictory.
The catch? Congress created the department in 1979. Without their approval, this order can’t legally finish the job. But while full closure may stall in Congress, the damage is already being done.
And that may be the point.
Academic Freedom in the Crosshairs
Universities have long served as pressure valves for political dissent. Today, campuses are among the few public spaces where criticism of U.S. foreign policy—especially toward Israel—is still voiced loudly.
Since Israel’s renewed attacks on Gaza began in 2023, student-led protests have spread nationwide. Faculty have joined teach-ins, signed letters of solidarity, and criticized university complicity in war crimes.
The backlash has been swift.
Students have faced suspensions for pro-Palestinian rallies. Entire organizations have been banned. Professors are under investigation for their public statements or classroom content. In some states, public universities have purged critical race theory and banned discussions that challenge U.S. support for Israel.
Trump’s administration has fueled this crackdown using the very department he now wants to dismantle. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has launched investigations into schools accused of tolerating “antisemitism”—often conflating that term with any criticism of Israeli policy.
The goal isn’t protecting Jewish students. It’s stifling dissent.
A Hollow Promise of “Freedom”
Trump says shutting down the Education Department will free states from federal interference. But if that were true, why has his administration used that same federal power to threaten schools and colleges over how they handle race, gender, and foreign policy discussions?
Senator Patty Murray put it bluntly: Trump isn’t giving states more freedom. He’s tightening control—just through different channels.
In reality, this move leaves vulnerable students behind. It removes a key layer of civil rights oversight. And it opens the door for more politically motivated education policies at the state level—especially in Republican-led states where book bans and curriculum restrictions are on the rise.
The Bigger Picture: Silencing the Next Generation
This isn’t just about bureaucracy. It’s about who gets to define what education looks like in America—and what ideas are allowed to survive in classrooms.
The Department of Education, while imperfect, has served as a federal check on inequality. It enforces laws that protect marginalized students, tracks national education data, and funds programs for rural, disabled, and homeless students.
If those responsibilities scatter across other agencies—or simply disappear—millions of students could lose access to resources that help them stay in school, graduate, or go to college.
Worse still, academic spaces may become even more hostile to those who speak truth to power. Faculty teaching about settler colonialism or systemic racism could face greater political scrutiny. Students protesting genocide may find themselves criminalized.
As the war in Gaza rages and bodies continue to pile up, American students demanding accountability face another kind of threat here at home: the erosion of their right to speak, protest, and learn.
What’s Next?
The courts may block this executive order. Congress might stall the plan indefinitely. But Trump’s message is clear: Education is not neutral. And if it doesn’t serve the state’s ideological goals, it must be dismantled.
Academia should see this moment for what it is—not just a policy shift, but a test of its backbone.
Will universities cave to political pressure? Or will they stand for the rights of students, the integrity of scholarship, and the essential freedom to speak—even when it’s uncomfortable?
The future of education—and democracy—depends on the answer.
Zaid Alavi is a Guest Faculty in Political Science at Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University.
