(AFP) – President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order instructing his newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department she now leads, US media has reported. The Wall Street Journal cited a draft of the executive order circulating Wednesday which directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”
Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt denied the order would be signed Thursday, but did not address the general plan to dismantle the agency through an executive order. “More Fake News!” Leavitt wrote on X on Thursday. “President Trump is NOT signing an Executive Order on the Department of Education today.”
Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments and directed McMahon to “put herself out of a job.” Traditionally, the federal government has had a limited role in education in the United States, with only about 13 percent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers, the rest being funded by states and local communities.
But federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs. And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students. By law, the Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress, and Republicans do not have the votes to push that through.
However, as with other federal agencies under Trump’s second administration, the department could see widespread slashes to programs and employees, which could significantly cripple its work. The Republican leader’s threat to shut down the education department has angered Democrats, teachers’ unions, and many parents, who see it as an attack on the public education system.
McMahon, a 76-year-old businesswoman who formerly served as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, said at a Senate education committee hearing last month that “the excessive consolidation of power” in Washington was damaging education. “So what’s the remedy? Fund education freedom, not government,” she said.
The Washington Post reported McMahon and other officials have suggested moving some of the agency’s functions to other parts of the government in their effort to dismantle it, though it could prompt legal challenges. Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called the reported plan—if it is true—”the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken” as it would hit the most vulnerable and underserved communities.
“This would be horrible for our schools, our school leaders, our families, and the children Secretary McMahon is supposed to serve,” Schumer said in a statement. “The blast radius of this order will harm nearly every child, every teacher, every family, and every community in the country.”
© 2024 AFP
