The U.S. Department of Education will relocate from its headquarters at 400 Maryland Avenue SW in Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle the federal education bureaucracy and return control over education to the states.
Key Takeaways
The U.S. Department of Education will relocate from its headquarters to a smaller office in Washington, D.C., as part of the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the agency and return control over education to the states.
- The department has been located at 400 Maryland Avenue SW since May 1980.
- President Donald Trump ordered the Education Department's mission to be dismantled in March 2025 via an executive order.
- The move is expected to save more than $4.8 million a year and over $350 million in deferred maintenance costs for the Energy Department's aging facility.
- Democrats have criticized the move as part of Trump's plan to dismantle the Education Department, which they argue is illegal on the grounds that only Congress has the power to close the agency.
According to UPI, the department has been located in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building since May 1980. The move, announced by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, will see staff relocate a block away to 500 D Street SW in August.
The Trump administration estimates that only 30% of the Lyndon Baines Johnson building is occupied, and the relocation is expected to save more than $4.8 million annually in operating costs, as well as over $350 million in deferred maintenance costs for the Energy Department's aging facility, which will take over the current Education Department headquarters.
Democrats have criticized the move, with Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, stating that 'Leaving the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building does not cut bureaucracy — it rearranges it.' According to NPR, Scott argues that the decision reflects a broader effort to reduce the federal government's role in ensuring people have equal access to a quality education.
The Education Department was created by Congress under President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Conservatives and Republicans have long been critical of the department, with Trump reviving efforts to dismantle it during his presidency. The 2024 Republican platform called for closing the department.
The push to eliminate the Education Department is being fought in court by a coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia, as Democrats argue that only Congress has the power to close the agency. According to Fox News, an ED official told Fox News Digital that staff are working to put themselves out of a job under President Donald Trump's orders because the agency is not needed.
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