Donald Trump has made it clear that he intends to dismantle the United States Department of Public Education completely. On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Trump and his Education Secretary Linda McMahon took the first step in eliminating the Department of Education by firing 50 percent of its workforce. 

Gutting the Department of Education will send class sizes soaring, cut job training programs, make higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle-class families, take away special education services for students with disabilities, and gut student civil rights protections.

The news comes following a string of executive orders aimed at rolling back funding for programs that Minnesotans rely on—like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act—to give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk. 

To pay for their giant tax giveaway to billionaires and big corporations, Donald Trump and Minnesota conservatives are destroying public education. 

Trump’s order to shut down the department will disrupt billions in essential funding for low-income schools, special education, and higher education programs across the country and in Minnesota. 

Just here at home, Trump’s cuts to the Department of Education could impact over 937,000 kids across 2,500 Minnesota K-12 schools. 

Minnesotans deserve leaders who will stand up to Donald Trump and his billionaire friends and fight to protect our schools, students, and communities. But, instead of fighting back against Trump’s attack on public education, Minnesota conservatives want to defund Minnesota public schools. 

Minnesota schools, teachers, and students rely on federal and state funding to keep schools open and kids safe. Trump and Minnesota conservatives’ plans to cut funding for Minnesota’s public schools mean schools might have to cut classroom programs, special education, mental health and disability services, lay off teachers, and increase class sizes. 

Minnesota conservatives are also trying to direct what can be taught in schools using Donald Trump’s Project 2025 as the blueprint. Minnesota conservatives are attempting to repeal ethnic studies requirements, ramp up parental involvement in school curricula, and ban books they deem inappropriate.

We need to Hold Trump and Minnesota Conservatives Accountable 

Every Minnesota student deserves access to high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed. Minnesotans won’t stand for Donald Trump and Minnesota conservatives putting billionaires like Elon Musk over the needs of our schools, schools, students, teachers, and families.

Sign up to join us in the fight.