Trump To Sign Executive Order Aiming To Shut Down Education Department

US President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order today, aiming to shutdown the Department of Education, the Associated Press reported Thursday, quoting a White House official.

The order would direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” the report stated, citing a White House summary of the order.

Trump is expected to sign the order at a White House ceremony, which will see the participation of several Republican governors and state education commissioners.

According to a report carried in USA Today, the department—created in 1978 by Congress as a Cabinet-level agency—will not shut down immediately after Trump’s order, as eliminating the department entirely needs action from Congress.

In recent weeks, Trump has reduced the agency’s workforce, but it still exists and continues to oversee vital federal funding programs for schools.

In a statement to USA Today, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields said the order “will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students.”

Fields reportedly said recent test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam “reveal a national crisis—our children are falling behind.”

According to the White House summary, the order takes aim at “regulations and paperwork” required by the Department of Education, stressing that federal guidance in the form of “Dear Colleague” letters from the department “redirects resources toward complying with ideological initiatives, which diverts staff time and attention away from schools’ primary role of teaching.”

A White House official further told the publication that federal funding for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Title I funding for low-income schools and federal student loan payments will remain unchanged under the order while McMahon works on a plan to “bring these funds closer to states, localities, and more importantly, students.”

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