President-elect Donald Trump has promised to axe the Department of Education in his upcoming term. If he were to do so, what could that mean for IU and Bloomington?
An IU spokesperson declined to comment on whether it had plans for how to proceed if the department is abolished. A Monroe County Community School Corporation spokesperson said the district didn’t have one. Both said it would be speculative to comment on the effects it would have on the institutions.
That’s likely because most experts believe the plan is not going to go through. John Graham, an IU professor who worked in President George W. Bush’s administration, said there’s not much political will to do so.
The Washington Post reported it would likely take 60 votes in the Senate to go through if the filibuster stays in place. A House vote in 2023 on an amendment that would have abolished the department saw 60 Republicans vote against it.
Trump has even announced Linda McMahon, a former head of the Small Business Administration and previous professional wrestling executive, as his nominee to lead the department. McMahon has limited experience with education, only serving on the Connecticut State Board of Education from 2009 to 2010.
Graham also brought up President Ronald Reagan’s attempt to abolish the department decades ago, which failed due to a lack of congressional support. He said a similar situation would likely happen this time around.
Still, the proposal is being taken seriously. Last month, North Dakota Sen. Mark Rounds, a Republican, introduced a bill that would abolish the department.
If that goes through, one of the largest issues the federal government would need to reconcile is the $1.7 trillion in student loans it has issued, growing by about $100 billion each year. Trump’s allies have suggested moving those over to the Treasury Department.
Details like enforcement would still need to be ironed out, but proponents say the program designed to assist students from lower-income households would be handled more effectively outside the Department of Education.
Still, Graham said he’s skeptical. He said it’s not likely that Trump, nor the Republican party, would have the political will to substantially shrink the department, either.
“It’s not just Democrats. Republicans are interested in Pell Grants, loan guarantees for students,” he said. “They don't necessarily want to cancel all their debt, all these things, but they do think there's a need for these programs.”
In fall 2022, IU found that about 17% of undergraduates had Pell Grants at its Bloomington campus.
The department also provides Title 1 funding -- dollars intended for schools with high percentages of low-income students -- public education around the country, distributed by states. Data from fiscal year 2023 show that MCCSC received nearly $2.7 million from this program.
