WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, a move that will see Education Secretary Linda McMahon begin to gut the department.
“It sounds strange, doesn’t it? Department of Education. We’re going to eliminate it,” Trump said in the East Room of the White House at a ceremony where he was surrounded by children sitting in school desks.
Congressional approval would be needed to fully abolish the department but Trump’s order will see the workforce downsize dramatically.
“We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said.
The Education Department was established in 1979 during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. Any efforts to officially close the department would face major obstacles from Democrats in the Senate, where 60 votes would be needed.
“I hope they’re going to be voting for it,” Trump said. “Because ultimately it may come before them.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the department would not be completely eliminated, saying its “critical functions” would continue, including the oversight of student loans and Pell grants.
“The Department of Education will be much smaller than it is today,” Leavitt said. “So when it comes to student loans and Pell grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education.”
Eliminating the Education Department is extremely unpopular among voters, according to polls. A Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10 found that 60% of registered voters opposed the plan.
McMahon said the Trump administration has already taken steps in recent weeks to gut the department by cutting its workforce nearly in half.
The move is already facing legal challenges from those seeking to block the agency’s closure as well as sweeping cuts to its staff announced last week.
Trump has falsely accused the department of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual, and political material.
