On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close the Department of Education, stating the order would “return authority over education to the States.”
However, since the Department of Education, ED, was established by Congress in 1979, abolishing the department requires approval from Congress.
This comes after a press release from the ED on March 11 stating they are cutting 50 percent of staff, having laid off 1,315 employees thus far.
This all comes as no surprise, as closing the ED was part of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
A lawsuit has already been filed by 20 state Attorney Generals, including California, against the department laying off employees.
An additional lawsuit has been filed in Massachusetts against the closure by unions including American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers.
“While the full implications of the EO [Executive Order] remain unclear, we are committed to protecting our students and their full access to higher education,” said the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in a statement issued March 24.
A major function of the ED is to provide federal funding for both colleges and college students. San Joaquin Delta College receives $4.8 million in non-financial aid federal grants.
Additionally, 45 percent of Delta students receive FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and around 34 percent of students qualify for federal Pell grants, according to Alex Breitler, Delta’s director of Marketing and Communication.
Although the ED may not be shut down in full, the layoffs in the department already have students fearing how this will affect them.
“My biggest fear is, even though it might not be shut down, there’d be stricter requirements. And because there’d be stricter requirements, people with unique circumstances such as I, and especially people with undocumented parents, will possibly not get financial aid to fund their college tuition,” said Ema Fua, second year Delta College student.
Fua had a difficult time applying for and receiving FAFSA due to her unique situation. Fua applied for FAFSA in March 2024 for the school year 2024-25, and was only just approved in March 2025.
“With less people being at the department, which seems to be the case in the next few days, I would imagine it will be very difficult to process all those FAFSA applications. We already saw those struggles last year,” said Dylan Myers, student representative for Delta’s Board of Trustees. “The fact that we’re going to have 50 percent less staff will probably delay many people’s FAFSA, and other programs too. It’s going to be a damaging effect if there’s no system in place to compensate for the loss of personnel.”
Myers is also a recipient of FAFSA as well as the federal Pell grant.
“For students, it’s important to stay focused and keep moving forward toward your goals. Delta College will continue to do everything we can to support you in your journey. We’re not going anywhere. Hang in there and we’ll get through this together,” said Delta President Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson.
