The Democrats and teachers unions have accused the upcoming executive order president of being expected to sign the dismantling of the Department of Education on Thursday.
Trump has long called for the division to be finished. And under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, his administration has reduced its size in half, along with the efforts of Trump and Elon Musk to further reduce the size of the federal government. The executive order moving to shut down federal agencies has been in work for weeks, with Democratic leaders and education groups opposed the move.
“We should focus on helping kids do math and reading. It's the basics needed to succeed. No one is looking for a three-touch billionaire to tear the Ministry of Education in a crazy far-right culture war.”
“Trump helps students get financial assistance when bringing wrecking balls into the department, relying on fundraising schools and families every day, making it even more difficult for predatory businesses to tear students apart,” Murray added.
Trump's executive order comes after the education department has already fired half of its employees. He is expected to order McMahon to dismantle the department as long as she is legally permitted.
Federal agencies have several programs required by Congress, including the Civil Rights Office, Title I, and programs for students with disabilities, and cannot be repealed without changing the law.
However, non-legal programs could be eliminated by secretaries, and conservatives argue that McMahon could move necessary initiatives to other federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice's Office of Civil Rights.
President Randy Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers had only four words in response to news of Trump's executive order.
While legal challenges are guaranteed, department advocates fear what will happen while the matter is filing a lawsuit.
“Legality aside, dismantling ED has exacerbated existing disparities, reduced accountability, and called low-income students, students of colour, students with disabilities, rural students, and English as at-risk second language (ESL) students at-risk (D-VA).
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) called Trump's move “more bulls–.”
“We know you're trying to tire us out, but for the record, I'm not overwhelmed. My zone is not flooded,” Smith said. “I'll fight your illegal activities until the cows get home. I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of people on the same page who have contacted my office since you started this nonsense.”
