President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order aimed to dissolve the Department of Education, an action that the administration promised to accomplish.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt published this information via social media platform X on Thursday, March 20th, announcing that signing was “happening today at 4pm ET.”
Removal of this department has been a long-term goal of Trump’s, as he claims it has promoted liberal ideology regarding gender and race. This change, however, is already receiving legal challenges from those trying to prevent closure of the department.
In response, 21 Democratic attorney generals came together and filed a lawsuit last week, arguing that any effort by Trump to eliminate the department is unlawful.
Some believe it is unlikely that this legislation will actually be implemented, considering that even with the President’s signature, approval from Congress is still necessary. This has been deemed as difficult to achieve by some with the slim 53-47 Republican majority in Congress. Major legislation such as removing a department would require 60 votes in favor.
President Jimmy Carter originally created the Department of Education in 1979, following the bipartisan passing of the Department of Education Organization Act in Congress.
Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon vowed at her Senate confirmation meeting to work with Congress to further Trump’s plans of dismantling the department. After being sworn in, one of her first actions was the distribution of a memo titled “Our Department’s Final Mission.”
“This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students,” she wrote.
McMahon has since significantly reduced the size of the department, cutting the workforce in half. She regarded the mass firings as the first step towards shutting down the department.
“That was the president’s mandate,” she explained last week in an interview with Fox News. “His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished.”
