Teachers and Unions Vow Legal Fight Over Education Department Closure

The directive represents a core objective of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, seeking to privatize school systems and shift federal resources. While Trump expressed hopes that McMahon would be the final official to lead the agency, the path to closure remains complex. Because the department was established by Congress in 1979, its formal dissolution requires legislative action, despite current Republican control of both chambers.

Opposition is mobilizing rapidly across the country. American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten dismissed the administration’s strategy with a four-word pledge: "See you in court." Meanwhile, National Education Association president Becky Pringle warned that the dismantling of the department threatens civil rights protections, special education services, and financial aid for millions of students. In Washington, the youth-led Sunrise Movement announced a "study-in" at the agency's headquarters to protest the policy, marking the start of what promises to be a sustained campaign of civil resistance and litigation.