With President Donald Trump back in office he is looking to push some of the promises he made on the campaign trail. One of these promises being the destruction of the Department of Education. 

President Trump along with the U.S Secretary of Education Linda McMahon have started to cut 50% of the workers within the department. Many students are supported with Free Application for Federal Student Aid. (FAFSA). So, how does this affect them? 

The cutting of the Department of Education funding would make it much harder to get students the financial support they need. As Federal Student Aid (FSA) is allocated to over 9.9 million students cutting the workforce who is behind allocating the funding as well as the student loan allows for less people to be able to get financial aid.  

Students that get loans from the government could find it more difficult to pay off due to the loans being privatized with potentially higher interest rates instead of through the government. 

Pell Grant are potentially at risk as well. According to the FSA, to be students eligible for the Pell Grant include, “Undergraduate students with exceptional financial need and who haven’t earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree”  

Without these grants available to help support families on lower incomes this could potentially harm the workforce by not offering more people the opportunity to get into the workforce and boost the economy.  

Students should be wary and pay attention to what the Trump Administration decides to do next with the Department of Education as not only will it affect the nation at large but it will also affect students’ education and may prevent them from going further into their career.