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President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday to abolish the Department of Education, according to a report first shared by USA TODAY.
Several Republican governors are expected to attend, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Trump will direct his 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,” according to a White House summary of the order reviewed by the outlet.
It also calls for the “uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
The move follows the president’s longtime talk of closing the department to return education power to individual states.
Trump told a reporter in February that he wanted the Department of Education “closed immediately.” Trump shared the response to a question in the White House, calling the department a “big con job.”
“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately,” Trump answered. “Look, the Department of Education is a big con job. We’re ranked — so they ranked the top forty countries in the world. We’re ranked number 40th, but we’re ranked number one in one department, costs per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked number 40. We’ve been between 38 and 40, the last time I looked it was 38 and then I looked two days ago … it came out at number 40.”
“Norway, Denmark, Sweden, I hate to say it — China, as big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five,” Trump continued. “That’s a primary competitor. We’re ranked number 40 — so, if we’re ranked number 40, that means something’s really wrong, right?” the president continued.
The Department of Education also recently released a statement announcing plans to reduce nearly half its staff by March 21. The press release noted that of the current 4,133 employees, only 2,183 will be needed.
“The Department of Education will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking,” the release stated.
