Trump orders closure of US Department of Education
The executive order comes as part of Trump's continued push towards aiming to send control to states
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that instructs US Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education.
The move is seen as an attempt by the Trump administration to circumvent the usual need for congressional approval to close a federal department.
The order follows Trump’s long-standing criticism of the department, which he claims has seen its budget more than double in recent years without corresponding improvements in national test scores. The President, speaking at the signing ceremony in the White House, said the department’s work was ineffective and added, “We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible.”
Despite the executive order, Trump indicated that the administration might eventually pursue legislation to have Congress formally close the agency. He reiterated his campaign promise to return control over education to state governments, saying, “We are going to send education back to the states.”
