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Thousands of people have signed a new Christian petition by Faithful America rebuking President Donald Trump's effort to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE), warning that the move corrupts the Christian faith.
Newsweek reached out to Faithful America and the DOE for comment via email on Thursday morning.
Why It Matters
The efforts of Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk to make cuts and changes at the DOE have drawn significant backlash from liberal critics, while conservatives, including many prominent Christians, have praised the effort. Christians have long been a key base of support for Trump, especially white evangelicals.
At the same time, many progressive Christian groups have become critics of the Trump administration and Republicans in recent years. Faithful America, which describes itself as the largest online community of Christians putting faith into action, routinely launches petitions opposing the actions of Trump and conservatives.
What to Know
The Faithful America petition, which was launched on Tuesday, had just over 11,100 signatures as of the time of writing Thursday morning.
"Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gutting the Department of Education," the petition reads, warning that Christian nationalists are "cheering" the effort. The petition said conservatives see the effort as helping them bring Christian faith and the Bible back into public schools.
"It's clear Christian nationalists want to take full advantage of [Trump's efforts]. But forcing Christianity on others doesn't spread our faith, it corrupts it," the petition says.
"By defunding and eliminating this crucial department, Trump and the Christian nationalist leaders supporting him clearly wish to make public schools across the country either indoctrinate our children with a certain form of Christianity or close down."
What Is Trump Doing to DOE?
Last Thursday, Trump via an executive order, directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to commence the process of "eliminating" the department. "Today, we take a very historic action," he said moments before signing the order.
The order instructs McMahon, who he hopes will be the last DOE secretary, to "preserve in full" certain essential programs, like Title I, Pell Grants, and resources for students with disabilities and special needs, while cutting others. McMahon has repeatedly signaled she will carry out Trump's dismantling desires, having vowed to work with Congress on the initiative during her confirmation hearing.
"My administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department, we're going to shut it down, and shut it down as quickly as possible. We want to return our students to the states," Trump said.
The DOE currently oversees federal education policy, enforces civil rights laws in schools, and distributes billions of dollars in funding to K-12 and higher education institutions.
The cuts and changes come as Musk, the world's wealthiest man and top Trump donor, has been tasked with making broad cuts across the federal government via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk and Trump say the cuts are needed to root out fraud and waste, but their critics contend DOGE is targeting vital programs and services that benefit Americans.
What People Are Saying
Pastor Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on March 20: "President Trump's executive order to eliminate the Department of Education is a win for families! Parents' and children's educational needs will be better served at the state and local levels."
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, said in a March 17 letter to Secretary McMahon, signed by 37 Senate colleagues: "At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when 60 percent of people live paycheck to paycheck, millions of Americans cannot afford higher education, and 40 percent of our nation's 4th graders and 33 percent of 8th graders read below basic proficiency, it is a national disgrace that the Trump Administration is attempting to illegally abolish the Department of Education and thus, undermine a high-quality education for our students."
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham wrote on X in November after Trump's election: "President-elect @realDonaldTrump has said the Department of Education should be shut down—and I agree. The ED has only existed since 1979, and we were better off without it. Even President Reagan thought it should be abolished back then. We spend billions for what?"
What Happens Next
Efforts by Trump and Musk to make cuts at the DOE, as well as across the government, are expected to continue. These efforts face significant criticism from Democrats, as well as many legal challenges, which will continue to play out in the courts in the coming months.
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About the writer
Jason Lemon is a Senior Politics Editor at Newsweek based in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to taking on the editor role, Jason's reporting focused ... Read more