A recent Rasmussen Reports poll reveals deep partisan divisions over President Donald Trump's executive order to shut down the Department of Education.
According to Breitbart, the survey found that 51 percent of likely U.S. voters approve of Trump's directive to dismantle the federal agency, with 37 percent expressing strong approval. The poll also indicated that 47 percent disapprove of the move, including 35 percent who strongly oppose it.
The survey, conducted between March 30 and April 1 with 1,088 likely voters, revealed an even split on the Department of Education's impact since its establishment in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter. Forty-one percent believe the department has improved American schools, while an equal percentage think it has made them worse. The remaining 13 percent see no significant difference in educational outcomes.
Republican and Democratic voters showed stark differences in their perspectives on the federal agency's effectiveness. The poll found that 62 percent of Democrats believe the department has enhanced American education, while 57 percent of Republicans say it has been detrimental to schools.
Independent voters presented a more nuanced view, with 33 percent seeing positive impacts from the department, 44 percent noting negative effects, and 17 percent reporting no substantial change. The partisan divide extends to Trump's executive order, with 78 percent of Republicans supporting it and 73 percent of Democrats opposing it.
Support among unaffiliated voters was evenly split, with 48 percent approving and disapproving of the department's elimination.
President Trump, who signed the executive order on March 20, has tasked Education Secretary Linda McMahon with initiating the department's shutdown. The White House points to concerning statistics about American students' academic performance to justify the decision.
The administration highlighted that despite the Department of Education spending over $3 trillion since its creation and a 245 percent increase in per-pupil spending, student achievement shows little improvement. Recent Nation's Report Card results indicate math and reading scores have hit their lowest levels in decades.
Trump's team also emphasized that U.S. students rank 28th out of 37 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in mathematics, demonstrating significant room for improvement in educational outcomes.
The Education Department has already begun its transformation under Secretary McMahon's leadership. The agency has eliminated nearly $1 billion in grants, removed over 2,300 webpages related to diversity and inclusion initiatives, and announced plans to reduce its workforce by 50 percent.
Trump's executive order represents a significant step toward his campaign promise to return educational authority to states and local communities. However, the department's complete dissolution requires congressional approval, with Senate Republicans recently introducing legislation to formally eliminate the agency.
McMahon, whom Trump joked should "put herself out of a job," has already initiated substantial changes. At the executive order signing, Trump expressed optimism about bipartisan support:
We're going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it's right, and the Democrats know it's right. And I hope they're going to be voting for it, because ultimately it may come before them.
The Rasmussen Reports survey, with its ±3 percentage points margin of error, demonstrates the complex nature of federal involvement in American education. The poll results show that Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education has garnered majority support from U.S. voters, though by a narrow margin. While Republicans push forward with legislation to eliminate the department, the deep partisan divide suggests a challenging path ahead for the complete dismantling of the federal agency.
