Lara Jameson
President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at shutting down the U.S. Department of Education, as reported by a White House official, fulfilling a campaign pledge to eliminate an agency that has long been criticized by conservatives. The official requested anonymity prior to the formal announcement.
Trump has consistently labeled the Department of Education as inefficient and influenced by liberal ideologies. However, fully dismantling the department may prove challenging without congressional action, as it was established by legislation in 1979.
According to a fact sheet from the White House, the order will instruct Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary measures to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and to transfer educational authority back to the states, while ensuring the continued effective delivery of services, programs, and benefits that Americans depend on.
The Trump administration has already been significantly reducing the agency’s size through layoffs and program eliminations. The department is working to halve its workforce and is also scaling back the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which is responsible for collecting data on the nation’s educational progress.
