Trump to sign EO to officially shutter DOE, return education to the states

On Thursday, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order closing the Department of Education.

According to USA Today, which reviewed a White House summary of the order, Trump will direct Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States."

The order also calls for the "uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely."

White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told the outlet that the order "will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students," and added that recent National Assessment of Educational Progress exam scores "reveal a national crisis — our children are falling behind."

A White House official said that federal funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Title I funding for low-income schools, and federal loan payments will continue for the time being as McMahon works on a plan to "bring these funds closer to states, localities, and more importantly, students."

Education programs or activities that receive "any remaining Department of Education funds" under the executive order will be blocked from pushing DEI or gender ideology.

According to NBC News, a formal closure of the department, which was established by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 after Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act, would require an act of Congress, however, the Trump administration can take steps to curtail it. McMahon recently moved to cut the department's workforce in half, and said in a recent interview that Trump's "directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished."

In nominating McMahon, Trump wrote, "as Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand "Choice" to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decision for their families."

"Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."