WASHINGTON, DC (LOOTPRESS) – President Trump announced the signing of an executive order to initiate the process of dismantling the Department of Education “once and for all.”
“We’re going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it’s right,” Trump stated at the White House on Thursday. He argued that the U.S. has long struggled with education, despite significant spending.
“The U.S. spends more money per pupil, yet we rank near the bottom in terms of success,” he said, citing statistics that 70% of eighth graders are not proficient in reading or math, while 40% of fourth graders lack basic reading skills. Trump emphasized that education should be returned “back to the states, where it belongs.”
Following the signing, Trump, flanked by schoolchildren at desks, held up the order and invited Education Secretary Linda McMahon to join him on stage. Several Republican governors, including Ron DeSantis (FL), Mike DeWine (OH), Michael Braun (IN), Gregg Abbott (TX), and Kim Reynolds (IA), attended the event.
Since taking office two months ago, the administration has already cut the Education Department’s staff in half and is making plans to shift some of its functions to other agencies. However, fully dismantling the department would require an act of Congress, with 60 Senate votes needed—meaning at least seven Democrats would have to support the measure.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Fox News that the Education Department will become significantly smaller. A White House official assured CBS News that student loans, Pell Grants, Title I funding for low-income school districts, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will remain unaffected by the order. However, enforcement of civil rights laws and IDEA will eventually be transferred to other departments.
Trump previously said he appointed McMahon as education secretary with the goal of making her “put herself out of a job.” After her Senate confirmation earlier this month, McMahon sent a letter titled Our Department’s Final Mission, affirming Trump’s directive to eliminate “bureaucratic bloat” quickly and responsibly.
“Hopefully, she will be the last secretary of education,” Trump remarked.
Meanwhile, nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the administration’s efforts to reduce the Education Department’s workforce, calling the move unconstitutional.
