US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to begin the process of dismantling the US Department of Education in an attempt to shift control of education back to individual states, CNN reported.
Eliminating a Cabinet-level agency is an unprecedented step in modern US history and would require an act of Congress. Trump’s executive order directs 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.”
Addressing the nation from the White House’s East Room, Trump declared, We’re going to shut it down, and shut it down as quickly as possible.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained ahead of the signing that the plan is to “greatly minimize the agency,” while ensuring that certain “critical functions” such as student loans and grants for at-risk students remain operational.
Trump echoed this sentiment, stating that those essential responsibilities would be reassigned to other federal agencies.
Trump justified his decision by pointing to declining student performance despite substantial per-student spending. He argued that eliminating federal oversight would allow American schools to become more competitive with their European and Chinese counterparts.
“I really believe that they’ll be as good as any of them,” he stated. “And then you’ll have some laggards and we’ll work with them. And we can all tell you who the laggards will be right now.”
Despite widespread opposition from teachers' unions, Trump sought to reassure educators, calling them “among the most important people in this country.” He extended his support to all teachers, regardless of union affiliation, saying, “I don’t care if they’re in the union or not in the union. That doesn’t matter. But we’re going to take care of our teachers.”
The executive order is expected to face legal battles, with teachers’ unions and advocacy groups vowing to challenge it.