US President Donald Trump has officially signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education

Advancing a campaign pledge to dismantle an agency that has been a long-time target of conservatives, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that calls for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department.

The Education Department has been criticised by Trump for its wastefulness and the influence of liberal ideology. Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that the department can be fully dismantled without an act of Congress, as it was established in 1979. Republicans have declared their intention to introduce legislation to accomplish this objective; however, Democrats have promptly expressed their opposition to the concept.

The education secretary is ordered to take all necessary measures to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities, to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, according to the order.

According to Trump, the department will be closed beyond its “core necessities,” while its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants, and funding for children with disabilities will be preserved.

The order appears to contradict the White House’s statement that the department will continue to administer federal student loans, which was made earlier on Thursday. It is stated that the Education Department is unable to supervise its $1.6 trillion loan portfolio due to a lack of personnel and must “return bank functions to an entity that is better equipped to serve America’s students.”

Trump attributed America’s academic underperformance to the department during a signing ceremony and asserted that states would improve their performance.

“It is not beneficial to us,” he stated.

The agency has already been significantly diminished by the Republican administration of Donald Trump. Its personnel is being reduced by 50%, and the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which collects data on the nation’s academic advancement, have experienced substantial reductions.

Linda McMahon, the Education Secretary, has declared that she will eliminate bureaucratic obstacles and enable states to determine the most effective course of action for their educational institutions. However, she pledged to maintain essential services and collaborate with Congress and states to “guarantee a lawful and orderly transition.”

She stated that she will be responsible for investigating which agencies are capable of fulfilling the Education Department’s diverse responsibilities.

McMahon informed reporters following the signing, “The Department of Justice already has a civil rights office. I believe that there is an opportunity to discuss the possibility of relocating some of our civil rights work there with Attorney General Bondi.”

Groups that have long advocated for the department’s termination were enthusiastic about the measure.

Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, stated, “For decades, it has directed billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system that prioritises leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all the while student achievement remains stagnant and America continues to lag behind.”

Advocates for public schools contended that the department’s elimination would result in children being disadvantaged in an education system that is intrinsically unequal.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson stated, “This is a dark day for the millions of American children who rely on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump.”

Democracy Forward, a public interest litigation group, is among the opponents who are preparing for legal challenges. According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the order is “one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken” and a “tyrannical power grab.”

Margaret Spellings, who served as education secretary under Republican President George W. Bush, expressed doubts regarding the department’s ability to fulfil its remaining objectives and whether it will ultimately enhance schools.

“Will it impede our ability to concentrate on student achievement urgently, or will individuals be preoccupied with determining how to operate the train?” she enquired.

Spellings maintained that schools have consistently been administered by local and state officials and denied the notion that the Education Department and federal government have been impeding their progress.

Block granting has prompted enquiries regarding critical funding sources, such as Title I, the primary source of federal funding for K-12 schools in the United States. Families of children with disabilities have expressed their despair regarding the potential outcomes of the federal department’s efforts to safeguard their rights.

Approximately 14% of public education budgets are funded by federal sources. Supplementary programs for vulnerable students, including the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students and Title I for low-income schools, are frequently funded by the funds.

For decades, Republicans have discussed the closure of the Education Department, contending that it is a waste of money and that the federal government is involved in decisions that should be made by states and institutions. The concept has recently garnered popularity as conservative parent groups demand increased control over their children’s education.

In his platform, Trump pledged to “close the department and return it to the states, where it belongs.” Trump has portrayed the department as a hub of “radicals, zealots, and Marxists” who overextend their influence through guidance and regulation.

Despite Trump’s efforts to dismantle the department, he has relied on it to advance certain aspects of his agenda. He has employed the investigative powers of the Office for Civil Rights and the prospect of withdrawing federal education funding to target schools and colleges that violate his directives regarding transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, pro-Palestinian activism, and diversity programs.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat who serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour and Pensions, refuted Trump’s assertion that he is transferring education to the states. She stated that he is attempting to “exert ever more control over local schools and dictate what they can and cannot teach.”

The agency’s political popularity is uncertain, and even some of Trump’s allies have questioned his authority to close it without Congressional action. The House contemplated an amendment to close the agency in 2023; however, 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.

The White House has stated that the agency will maintain certain critical functions, but it does not provide any information regarding the manner in which the work will be executed or the locations to which it will be directed.