Frontline Republican governors cheer on Department of Ed closure

President Donald Trump’s plan to shut down the Department of Education (DED) could put some Republican governors’ reelection campaigns at risk.

On March 20, Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin shutting down the agency. It would take an act of Congress to truly abolish the DED, but the administration hopes mass layoffs and funding cuts will leave it inoperable.

The DED has three main functions: providing supplemental funding to underserved school districts, particularly for special education programs; enforcing the legal right of every child to receive a public education; and disbursing Pell Grants and other federal loans. While the DED provides funding and oversight, it is up to state and local officials to execute these functions.

Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo told the Las Vegas Review Journal on Monday that he supported Trump’s executive order, but he also appeared unaware of its actual impact.

“There has been no explanation of how it’s going to be detrimental,” Lombardo said. “The Department of Education has never educated a kid. The particular items that they are responsible for — that is, the wraparound services and education disbursement to state education (departments) — as far as I can tell, it’s going to continue.”

Nevada schools receive nearly $1 billion annually in DED funding. Trump’s order does not provide guidance for how these disbursements will continue. McMahon told Fox News that these services will be taken over by other federal agencies, but did not provide specifics. The Nevada Independent reported on March 21 that some school boards are already assessing what programs can be sacrificed if there is a lapse or full-on halt of federal dollars.

Lombardo wrote in an op-ed for Breitbart News that eliminating the DED will give states more control over their school curriculums. The DED does not set or mandate curriculums.

Lombardo was elected in 2022 by fewer than 15,500 votes. Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, who previously worked as a public school teacher, blasted Lombardo’s support for DED cuts in a March 21 press conference.

“The fact is Joe Lombardo just sold out Nevada’s kids and their futures,” Ford said. “Our governor put Donald Trump over Nevada. It’s fewer teachers, it’s bigger class sizes and it’s the dismantling of programs for kids with special needs.” 

In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has yet to respond to Trump’s order, but she has backed cuts to the DED throughout her career.

Ayotte served in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2017. In 2013, she opposed an amendment that increased federal funding for low-income school districts. She voted unsuccessfully to cut Pell Grants in 2012 and 2015.

Ayotte, Lombardo, Trump, and McMahon all support school choice policies that allow public funds to follow students to the schools of their choice, including private ones. Critics of school choice argue this diverts funds away from public schools and toward private institutions.

NEA New Hampshire, the state’s largest teachers union, endorsed Ayotte’s opponent in the 2024 election. On March 20, the union issued a statement warning about the consequences of Trump’s executive order.

“President Trump’s extreme actions jeopardize the ability of Granite State students to build bright futures,” the statement said. “If it becomes a reality, Trump’s move will take resources away from our most vulnerable schools and students, eliminate services for students with disabilities, put higher education out of reach for middle class families, and decimate civil rights protections for our students.”

Because New Hampshire holds governor elections every two years, Ayotte is up for reelection in 2026.

A Data for Progress Poll from last month found that voters nationwide oppose closing the DED by a 2-to-1 margin.