Donald Trump plans to sign executive order dismantling Department of Education

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday.

The attempted takedown will advance a promise he made during his campaign, during which he claimed the Education Department was “wasteful” and “polluted with liberal ideology.”

The Trump administration has already begun gutting the agency – slashing its workforce in half and making deep cuts to its funding.

However, following through with dismantling the department entirely would require an act of Congress.

According to a White House fact sheet, the executive order will direct Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s action will make the department much smaller, but it will continue to manage federal student loans and Pell grants.

Advocates are already beginning to push back against Trumps plans, saying the elimination of the department will leave children behind in an already inequitable system.

“This isn’t fixing education,” the National Parents Union said in a statement.

“It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a fight.”

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