President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ordering the dismantling of the Department of Education.
It comes after the department's announcement last week that it would lay off nearly half of its staff.
Trump has said he wants Education Secretary Linda McMahon to put herself out of a job.
However, Congress would have to pass legislation to shutter the department completely, and Trump does not have the votes to do that.
Trump signing the order in the White House
Reuters
President Donald Trump shows his signature on an executive order to shut down the Department of Education
Reuters
US President Donald Trump with the order next to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon
Reuters
Speaking ahead of the signing, President Trump said: "We're going to shut it down as quickly as possible...It's doing us no good."
He added: "I don’t care if they’re in the union or not in the union, but we’re going to take care of our teachers...we’re going to love and cherish our teachers along with our children.
"We're going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs."
Democrat Senator Patty Murray said in a statement: “Donald Trump knows perfectly well he can’t abolish the Department of Education without Congress, but he understands that if you fire all the staff and smash it to pieces, you might get a similar, devastating result."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Senator Patty Murray
Reuters
Trump gestures during an event to sign an executive order to shut down the Department of Education
Reuters
An Ipsos poll found last month that respondents opposed shuttering the Department of Education by roughly two to one - 65 per cent to 30 per cent.
The poll which was conducted online and nationwide, surveyed 4,145 US adults and its results had a margin of error of about two percentage points.
Federal aid accounts for 15 per cent of all K-12 revenue in states that voted for Trump in the 2024 election, compared with 11 per cent of revenue in states that voted for his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, according to a Reuters analysis of Census Bureau data.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement: "Today’s Executive Order is a history-making action by President Trump to free future generations of American students and forge opportunities for their success. We are sending education back to the states where it so rightly belongs."
Linda McMahon thanked President Trump
Reuters
She continued: "Education is fundamentally a state responsibility.
"Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities."
