President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, throwing into question the fate of the agency’s $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio.
Only Congress can eliminate the Education Department. But the Trump administration can starve the agency of resources. Earlier this month, the department laid off nearly half of its staffers. The actions leave the department with 2,183 employees, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January.
What does this all mean for the more than 40 million Americans who hold federal student loans?
Student loan impacts if the Education Department shuttered
