Sponsors (2)
The bill shifts core education funding and program authority away from the Department of Education toward Treasury, DOJ, and states—providing predictable, flexible funding and some enforcement clarity, but creating substantial implementation risk, possible loss of targeted supports and protections for students, data-privacy concerns, workforce disruption, and uncertainty over borrower protections and oversight.
States will receive predictable, recurring per-student block grants for K–12 and postsecondary education (funding tied to FY2019 ED levels), giving schools and states stable funding streams.
States gain flexible use of K–12 funds (including early childhood, elementary, secondary), allowing local tailoring of education priorities and programs.
A single federal point of contact and assignment of DOJ Civil Rights Division enforcement for covered programs clarifies where to file civil-rights complaints and may strengthen enforcement against discrimination in funded programs.
Students—especially low-income and high-need students—risk losing federal K–12 programs and targeted resources, which could reduce supports and widen disparities in education.
College students may face loss or disruption of federal financial aid, loan servicing, and borrower protections if programs move from ED to other agencies, risking higher costs and repayment problems.
Eliminating or stripping authority from the Department of Education and relocating programs risks weakening education-focused enforcement of civil rights (Title IX, Section 504) and confusing lines of responsibility.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Introduced May 13, 2025 by Clay Higgins · Last progress May 13, 2025
Abolishes the Department of Education and moves many federal education programs into other federal agencies, while creating two Treasury-run state block grant programs for K–12 (including private and home-schooled students) and postsecondary education. It requires agencies to complete transfers within set deadlines, assigns the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to enforce key federal education civil rights laws for the new grant programs, and authorizes funding equal to the Department of Education's FY2019 total with limits on how funds may be used for grants and administration. The law shifts responsibility for major programs (including special education, federal student aid, Impact Aid, and education research) to agencies such as HHS, Interior, and Treasury, creates state flexibility on how to spend block grants, and imposes reporting, audit, and civil-rights compliance requirements on states to receive funds.