Education Department posts doctored image showing its HQ as Spirit Halloween

The Education Department on Friday posted a doctored image on the social platform X showing the agency’s headquarters in Washington with a Spirit Halloween banner on the building.

“These things are just popping up everywhere!” the department said in its post.

The image, posted the day before Halloween, comes as President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon work toward a goal of closing the agency entirely.

The Education Department has made more than a dozen deals with other federal agencies to outsource its responsibilities, such as moving the student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department. It has also fired thousands of employees.

The post was faced with pushback from opponents who believe the recent moves will have a negative effect on schools and students.

“I get asked by reporters all of the time, ‘Why don’t student loan borrowers trust the guidence from the federal government in repaying their loans?'” Daniel Collier, an expert in higher education, posted on Bluesky.

“From now on, I am just going to email them this post,” he added, referring to the Education Department’s image.

The Nevada State Education Association said the department “used to play a critical role in ensuring that students with specific needs were protected, fed, and adequately supported. The dismantling, supported by Trump, McMahon, and [GOP Gov. Joe] Lombardo, will hurt Nevadans.”

The Hill has reached out to the Education Department for comment.