Topic
8 entries.
“borrowers are paying back their loans, that they are fully supported in doing so.”
Collections restarted and support collapsed. Protect Borrowers found 3.6 million borrowers defaulted between January 2025 and early 2026, bringing the national total in default to about 9 million, after the SAVE repayment plan was terminated and servicing backlogs mounted. Wage garnishment and Social Security offsets resumed for defaulted borrowers.
“We're going to be returning education back to the states where it belongs.”
A March 2025 executive order directed Secretary Linda McMahon to wind the department down and cut nearly half of its 4,100-person workforce, with more layoffs in October 2025 and grant programs shifted to six other agencies by December 2025. But only Congress can abolish it and a Senate filibuster makes that impossible with the current majority; Reason reported in February 2026 that Trump's own bill funded the department at $79 billion and barred parts of it from being downsized or decentralized. The department still exists in September 2026.
“[paraphrase] We will take funding away from schools that don't end teacher tenure and adopt merit pay.”
No federal incentive program targeting teacher tenure was created, and tenure remains a matter of state law and collective bargaining. PolitiFact rated the promise Stalled in its January 2026 one-year review.
“[paraphrase] Homeschooling families will be able to use up to $10,000 per child, tax free, for their educational expenses.”
The 2025 tax law created a federal scholarship tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations, not the promised $10,000-per-child tax-free homeschool benefit. PolitiFact still had the specific pledge unfulfilled in its January 2026 review.
“[paraphrase] We will work with colleges to reduce the cost of tuition.”
No federal action reduced tuition. The Education Department rescinded the gainful employment rule in 2019 and weakened borrower defense to repayment rules, which The American Prospect cited as easing conditions for for-profit colleges rather than lowering costs.
“[paraphrase] I am proposing to redirect $20 billion in existing federal dollars to school choice.”
Congress did not appropriate the $20 billion. Federal charter school program funding rose only modestly, and a proposed federal tax-credit scholarship never passed. PolitiFact rated the promise broken, finding increases were minimal.
“[paraphrase] We're going to cut the Department of Education way, way down.”
Congress rejected the administration's proposed cuts each year and appropriated more for the department than it requested. The department was neither eliminated nor significantly reduced in funding. PolitiFact rated the promise broken.
“[paraphrase] Common Core is a disaster and we will end it.”
Common Core standards are adopted by states, not the federal government, and the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 already barred federal mandates on standards. Most states retained standards based on Common Core throughout the term. PolitiFact rated the promise broken.