Trump signs order to dismantle US Department of Education. How could Illinois be affected?
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday to close the U.S. Department of Education and “return education authority to the States,” and while the department won’t immediately close, Illinois could potentially lose billions in funding.
In a meeting with the White House press pool Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed President Trump’s afternoon announcement on the Department of Education, saying the department will not be completely shut down, which would require congressional action, and a much smaller version of it will continue to administer “critical functions,” such as student loans and Pell grants.
Illinois has already lost a $26.3 million contract for a program that provided food to schoolchildren, and nearly 50% of the federal Department of Education’s staff are set to be laid off beginning Friday.
“Every student in every community from Cairo to Chicago, from Rockford to Champaign deserves a high-quality education taught by a well-paid teacher in a school with a library and a gym and a nurse and a social worker,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a March 13 press release. “Education is either the foundation for nation’s future success, or if we fail, it can be our undoing. When we invest in our schools, we are building stronger communities, a more stable democracy, and a healthier economy.”
Gov. Pritzker said at an Illinois Education Association conference March 13 cuts to the federal education department put at risk more than $3 billion in federal funding Illinois expects this summer.
How much federal education funding does Illinois receive?
Illinois uses state funding for many education programs, but many others rely on federal funding. It’s not immediately clear how Trump’s executive order will affect Illinois education funding, and Reuters reported Thursday, “a source familiar with the order said student loans and services for children with disabilities were codified in law and would continue.”
The Illinois State Board of Education was awarded $603.9 million in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B funds for fiscal year 2025, according to an ISBE document from February.
Illinois received $1.148.4 billion in federal child nutrition funding in fiscal year 2024, ISBE reports.
Other federally funded education-related programs in Illinois include the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Teacher Assistance for College and Higher Education and Federal-Work Study.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 20 attorneys filing a lawsuit aiming to stop the dismantling of the education department March 13, saying closing the department would have “devastating effects” on Illinois and other states.
“Illinois students have long relied on the Department of Education to oversee the timely processing of financial aid applications and the release of aid, so they can make informed decisions about pursuing postsecondary education,” Raoul said in a press release. “The Trump administration’s unlawful, unconstitutional action will severely hamstring the processing of essential financial aid. The elimination of large numbers of employees in the department’s Office of Civil Rights Harms Illinois students seeking redress from the federal government when violations of their rights affect their ability to obtain an education. Using mass layoffs to effectively dismantle a department that has its responsibilities set in federal law is yet another example of this administration’s unconstitutional and unlawful overreach.”
Students with disabilities and students from low-income families are among the main recipients of federal funding and services, according to the Illinois attorney general’s office.
This story may be updated.
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM.
