Trump’s Education Department Cuts More Than $350 Million In ‘Woke Spending’ As Musk Hunts for Government Waste

The Department of Education (ED) announced the cancellation of over $350 million in “woke spending” to education and equity organizations Friday as part of a broader attempt to cut government waste. 

The ED ended 10 contracts with the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) after “review of the contracts uncovered wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers,” according to the ED’s press release. The contracts totaled to $336 million. The RELs work with policymakers and people in the field of education across the U.S. to help craft local and state “policies, programs and practices,” the Institute of Education Sciences said.

The REL supported “woke” causes, according to the ED. The Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest suggested that Ohio schools conduct “equity audits” and conversation. (RELATED: Federal Gov’s $190 Billion Handout For Public Schools Only Made Small Dent In Students’ Poor Test Scores, Studies Show) 

“The Department plans to enter into new contracts that will satisfy the statutory requirements, improve student learning, and better serve school districts, State Departments of Education, and other education stakeholders,” the press release read.

The department also put an end to $33 million in grants issued to four Equity Assistance Centers (EAC). The grants “supported divisive training in DEI, Critical Race Theory, and gender identity for state and local education agencies as well as school boards,” according to the ED.

The department’s website claims the EACs ensure “that all students have equitable access to learning opportunities, regardless of their child’s race, sex, national origin, or religion.” 

This is not the first substantial cut in spending at the ED. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced earlier efforts to cut the department’s spending on X. The ED canceled 89 contracts totaling $881 million and 29 DEI training grants totaling $101 million.

Also today, the Department Of Education terminated 89 contracts worth $881mm.

One contractor was paid $1.5mm to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center.” https://t.co/VaAw1vNAoa

— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 11, 2025

Trump’s Secretary of Education nominee, Linda McMahon, said in her confirmation hearing Thursday that she will look at spending.

“It is my goal, if I am confirmed, to get in and assess these kinds of programs because I’m not sure yet what the impact of all of those programs are,” she said.

Friday’s ED spending cut comes a week after Democrats attempted to make their way into the ED building in Washington, D.C., to protest President Trump’s announcement of his plan to close the department. Trump had begun drafting an executive order to shutter the ED and direct Congress to pass legislation to that effect.

The protest also followed the president asking DOGE to search the ED for wasteful spending. This followed DOGE exposing USAID’s chronic misuse of federal funds on projects including LGBT inclusion for Serbian workers, a musical in Ireland incorporating DEI and transgender clinics in both India and Vietnam.

President Trump referred to the ED as a “con job” and said he would “like it to be closed immediately” Wednesday while meeting with reporters in the Oval Office.