National Teacher Appreciation Week: Trump’s Budget Guts Education Department, Harming Teachers and Students Arrow

During National Teacher Appreciation Week, students and teachers are getting left behind by Donald Trump. Trump's education agenda is dismantling the department and cutting resources to teachers and schools in every corner of the country.

Trump's budget for 2027 calls for cutting the majority of elementary and secondary grant programs - a total of $4.6 billion - impacting approximately 26 million K-12 students. His budget also calls for massive cuts to education funding, including eliminating all $2.2 billion in annual spending on professional development programs for teachers. Trump's proposal would gut funding for before and after-school programs that are designed to help students with disabilities, and rural schools.

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

"Trump and his billionaire cabinet secretary Linda McMahon have taken a wrecking ball to the Department of Education, putting even more strain on schools, especially in low-income and rural communities. Rather than prioritizing our kids, Trump is giving his wealthy donors and big corporations massive tax handouts."

Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education, laying off nearly half of its employees and vowing "to shut it down, and shut it down as quickly as possible." Trump's donor-turned-Education Secretary Linda McMahon has worked to shutter the department and gut funding for America's public education system.