Trump signs executive order to dismantle the US Education Department

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at dissolving the Federal Department of Education. This move fulfills a campaign promise he made to dismantle the agency, which has long been a target for conservatives. The Trump administration has consistently criticized the Department of Education for wasting resources and being tainted by liberal ideology.

However, completely dissolving the Department of Education is nearly impossible without an act of Congress, as the department was established by Congress in 1979. Republicans have indicated that they will introduce a bill to achieve this goal. The White House has stated that the Department of Education will not be entirely shut down, but will retain certain critical functions.

President Trump stated on Thursday that his administration would cut the Department of Education beyond "core necessities," retaining its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell Grants, and funding for children with disabilities. The White House previously indicated that it would also continue to manage federal student loans.

The President accused the Department of Education of causing the decline in American academic performance, arguing that states could do a better job. "It's no good for us," he said at a White House ceremony. In reality, Trump's Republican administration is already weakening the agency. Its staff is being cut in half, and the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences (responsible for collecting national academic progress data) have also faced significant cuts.

Public school advocates have stated that eliminating the Department of Education would leave millions of American children who rely on federal funding for quality education, particularly those in impoverished and rural communities, behind in an education system that is fundamentally unequal. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, "This is a dark day for millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those from poor and rural communities whose parents voted for Trump."

Democrats have stated that they will oppose the order in court and in Congress, and have urged Republicans to join their opposition. The White House has not yet formally clarified which departmental functions could be transferred to other departments or eliminated altogether.

The Department of Education allocates billions of dollars to schools annually and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. Currently, much of the agency's work revolves around managing funds – both its vast student loan portfolio and a range of assistance programs for universities and school districts, such as school meals and aid for homeless students. The agency also plays a critical role in overseeing civil rights enforcement.