Trump preps order to end Department of Education: report

"A White House official confirmed the White House is preparing for executive action later this month that will fulfill Trump’s campaign pledge to defund the department," per the Washington Post.

Trump's pick for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, has not yet faced confirmation hearings in the Senate, although by the time she does face the committee, she may be required to manage the decline of the agency rather than actually head it. McMahon's hearing has not yet been scheduled as the office of government ethics is continuing to review her paperwork.

Elon Musk's new Department of Government Efficiency has been digging into the DOE to cut spending and staff. While an executive order cannot officially shutter the agency, it could slow things down.

Congress, per the Post, is "unlikely" to shut down the department entirely. The DOE was founded in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter after Congress passed a bill creating it in 1979. The first DOE, however, was launched well before that by Andrew Johnson in 1867. It lasted for one year before Congress abolished it.