The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, marking a key step to fulfill a campaign promise and a long -standing goal for many conservatives.
Accusing the “Impressive Fallas” department, Trump promised to return control of education financing to individual states. “We are going to close it as quickly as possible,” Trump said, although the White House admitted that closing the department would require the approval of Congress.
Legal challenges are already emerging from the opponents of the move, after the cuts of broad personnel announced last week.
According to the BBC, during a signature ceremony held at the White House on Thursday, where children were sitting in school desks, Trump criticized expense and educational performance.
“The United States spends more money on education much than any other country,” he said, while pointsing out that students are still close to the background worldwide.
The White House declared that parties of the department would be cut within the limits of existing laws. The executive order is expected, like many other efforts of the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal government, in front of legal obstacles.
In the event, Trump praised Linda McMahon, his designated to head the department, expressing the hope that she was the last Secretary of Education. He added that he would find “something else” for her to do within her administration.
Shortly after the order was signed, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana announced plans to introduce legislation destined to close the department. However, with Republicans who have a thin majority of 53-47 in the Senate, it is unlikely to achieve the 60 votes necessary to close a federal agency.
Even if the department is not formally abolished, the administration could reduce its financing and workforce, as did before with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was forced to stop numerous programs and humanitarian operations.
The text of the executive order does not describe specific steps or details which programs can be eliminated. He instructed McMahon to “take all necessary measures to facilitate closing” and transfer authority to state and local governments. He also ordered that she guarantees “the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits in which Americans trust.”
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Founded in 1979, the Department of Education manages student loans and supervises programs that support low -income students. However, Trump accused him of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual and political content.
Most American children attend public schools administered by local authorities, not the federal government. Although the Department of Education does not establish the curriculum or operates schools, it plays an important role in the financing and supervision of federal loans for federal students.
Only about 13% of primary and secondary education financing comes from federal sources, and most are provided through state and local taxes.
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