Trump promised to eliminate the Department of Education during his campaign. According to Public Notice, Trump’s use of the agency to harass marginalized groups is even worse.

Trump DOE ignores legitimate civil rights complaints in favor of whinging about woke

The DOE received more than 18,000 complaints alleging civil rights violations in 2022. When the DOE finds civil rights violations, it may withhold federal funds from the violator or file a complaint with the Department of Justice.

While Trump and his cronies allege that the bulk of these complaints are from liberal extremists pushing woke ideologies, in actuality, discrimination based on disabilities is the top issue, followed by Title IX violations, and racial discrimination. Seventeen, primarily red, states are currently suing the DOE to end civil rights protections for children with disabilities currently provided by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Additionally, under Trump, the DOE has stopped investigating thousands of disability-related complaints, along with more than 4,000 complaints about racial discrimination and sexual harassment. The DOE is now focusing on investigations into complaints related to affirmative action and other rightwing “culture war” obsessions, such as allowing trans students to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities.

In addition to going after schools over bathrooms, Trump’s DOE is threatening to go after states that allow transgender students to participate in high school athletics, in spite of the GOP’s claims to support “states’ rights.” The Department has already begun investigating sports governing bodies in Minnesota and California in an effort to force blue states to comply with conservative anti-trans ideology.

As a little treat for the people who refused to vote for Kamala Harris because of Gaza, the DOE is also investigating five universities, claiming that pro-Palestinian protests on campus were antisemitic. Lest you think Trump is sincere about protecting Jewish students, both he and Vice President JD Vance have engaged in antisemitism, such as accusing Jewish people of not being loyal to America and referring to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.

If Trump can’t get rid of the DOE, congress probably will

In spite of Trump’s behaving like a Mad King with the sole authority to do whatever he wants, even he seems unsure about whether he can eliminate the DOE by executive order. However, he may not need to, given that the GOP-controlled Congress is already trying to do it for him.

Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee to lead the DOE, Linda McMahon, wants to break the Department down piece by piece. Whatever happens, it seems clear that Trump and the GOP intend to continue to use the DOE against transgender students, racial minorities, and students with disabilities, instead of protecting their civil rights.