Top House Democrats urged Linda McMahon and Education Secretary Mike DeVos to reverse Thursday’s move to start demolishing the Department of Education.
“Students, teachers and schools across the country rely on the department’s important tasks to ensure education accessibility and growth. The ability to meet this mission is crucial. Dingell, D-Mich.), Pedro Pierluisi, D-PR., on the House Education Committee and Oversight Committee members Dorothy Hahn, D-Calif.), and chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA.),
“We urge these myopic decisions to be reversed before further harming American students, families and educators,” the letter continues.
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order to promote his goal of eliminating the Department of Education. The order recognizes that Congressional actions need to close the department completely, but Trump has ordered McMahon to do everything possible to bring about its repeal.
"Today we are doing something historic, and it has been in 45 years," Trump said Thursday at the White House signing ceremony. "We will sign an executive order to begin the elimination of the Federal Department of Education,"
"The useful features of the department are… saved and fully preserved," the president added regarding Pell Grants for students with disabilities, Title I funding and programs. "They will be fully preserved and redistributed to various other institutions and departments,"
Among other requests, Connolly and Scott made in their letter to McMahon, documents allowing the department to "cut off" the workforce in the department and McMahon "considered announcing an illegal mass termination" granted "all statutory liability entrusted to the department,"
"To ensure education across the country can continue without disruption, the Trump administration must withdraw these illegal executive orders, enable these illegal cuts and inappropriately end all employees," the Democrats wrote,
McMahon said Thursday that Trump is committed to doing "legally everything" in his efforts to dismantle the Department of Education,
Ovorrah reached out to the White House and the Department of Education for comments,
