The Idaho Legislature passed a resolution during the 2026 session stating findings of the Legislature and supporting federal efforts to eliminate the United States Department of Education. The resolution urges Congress to fully cooperate with these efforts.

The resolution aligns with President Trump’s stated goal of dismantling the federal Department of Education and returning education authority to states and local school boards. Idaho’s Republican-dominated Legislature has been among the most vocal state bodies supporting the initiative.

Supporters argue that federal education mandates impose costs and compliance burdens on Idaho school districts without improving outcomes, and that education decisions are best made at the state and local level. Idaho already operates its public school system through the State Board of Education and an elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, and conservatives have long argued that the federal department adds an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

Critics of the resolution, primarily Democrats, have raised concerns about the loss of federal education funding that flows through the department, particularly for Title I programs serving low-income students and IDEA funding for special education.

The resolution is non-binding and does not carry the force of law. It expresses the Legislature’s position to Idaho’s congressional delegation and to Congress.