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Trump closing Department of Education? White House provides massive update; all you need to know about government rules
The Department of Education announced partnerships with departments of Labor, State, Interior, Health and Human Services to share or transfer functions.
President Donald Trump is moving ahead with his plans of dismantling the Department of Education. On Tuesday, the White House made this announcement, amid a push to shrink the federal government's role in schooling so there can be more state-level control.
As a part of this effort, the department also announced new partnerships with federal departments of Labor, State, Interior, Health and Human Services, to share or transfer current functions.
According to the education department, this move will “streamline federal education activities on the legally required programs, reduce administrative burdens, and refocus programs and activities to better serve students and grantees.”
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Several people shared the news on X too, along with their reactions. One page noted, “BREAKING: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt just announced that the Trump administration will close the Department of Education.”
The video shows White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, state that the Trump administration was headed towards dismantling the education department. Leavitt added that this was one of Trump's core campaign promises.
Can Trump close the Department of Education?
While the Trump administration is taking steps to dismantle the Department of Education, it cannot technically close it. This is a cabinet-level department and abolishing it would require Congress intervention.
Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren was well aware of this when she said “Only Congress has the authority to close the Education Department, and I will not let that happen on my watch.”
However, in March, Trump had remarked, “We're going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs,” before he signed the order to close the department to the ‘maximum level’ as allowed under law.
The Department of Education was established in 1979 by Congress. Its main roles are administering college loans, tracking student achievement and enforcing civil rights in schools. The current secretary of education is Linda McMahon, WWE co-founder. While Trump remains set on dismantling the department, many Democrats have argued that his administration is circumventing Congress.
(With Reuters inputs)
