Government shutdown offers schools a glimpse of life without an Education Department
October 30, 2025
The government shutdown has been a source of anxiety for educators, wondering how long grant money will last and who can help them interpret federal laws. For Education Secretary Linda McMahon, it offers a preview of what she hopes to make permanent. Much of the department’s work has gone completely cold. No new grants are being awarded, and civil rights investigations have been halted. In many respects, schools and states are on their own. That’s the vision President Donald Trump has promoted since his presidential campaign — a world where states fully have the reins of education policy with little influence from the federal government.