President Donald Trump signed a historic executive order at the White House Thursday that will reduce the size and reach of the U.S. Department of Education. Trump, standing with school children, unveiled the order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” which directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin decreasing the department’s size.
Trump described the action as a “historic” move, emphasizing that it sets in motion a process that will eventually eliminate the federal Department of Education. “Today we take a historic action that was 45 years in the making,” he said, referencing his decade-long campaign promise to remove more authority over education from the federal government and send it back to individual states.
Whereas the executive order represents the commencement of the reduction of the department, no one is aware of how precisely the shutdown is going to proceed. McMahon understood that Congressional support would be required to entirely eliminate the agency, and passing a 60-vote threshold in the Senate would be critical to overcoming the filibuster.
The White House stated the department would not be shut down immediately. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the department will reduce in size but will continue to carry out “critical functions.” She faulted the department, however, for spending trillions without being able to achieve its intended function of improving education results.
The executive order aims to “ease the shutdown of the Department of Education” and shift education power to the states. Trump’s long-term objective is to shrink the federal footprint in education, with the president suggesting McMahon could be the last individual to hold the secretary’s seat.
The proposal was supported by several Republican governors, including Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Texas’s Greg Abbott, who reminisced about giving more education power back to the states. Trump signed off on their support, saying governors would do a “phenomenal job” of governing education at the local level.
But the order has sparked fierce criticism from Democrats and education organizations. The critics contend that eliminating the department would be damaging to students, teachers, and public education programs. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) labeled the move a “code red” for public education, stating that the cuts would hit hardest at working-class families and students.
Despite the raging controversy, Trump’s administration is proceeding with plans to cut the department, and already, staffers are being terminated as part of a general reduction in force.
