Donald Trump’s controversial shutdown decision ‘long overdue’ as president draws praise

His comments came after President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at shutting down the federal agency.

Republicans have been advocating for the closure of the department for years, with Swenson suggesting it had been "really detrimental" to American education.

He told GB News: "It's long overdue. It was a colossal waste of money. So this is maybe the best example of the bloated bureaucracy in Washington.

"People have been talking about Republicans anyway, have been talking about shutting down the DOE for years.

"It sounds controversial, but education in America is run at the local level, and it's even even more than the state level. It's run in counties, in school districts, and it's very effective that way. And once it went to the when too much control went to the federal bureaucracy, it really damaged outcomes.

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"And you see, the more money they spend at the Department of Education, the more test scores went down. So it's a long overdue move."

He added: "The federal system has worked pretty well for 250 years. And it's it's it's much better to delegate at the local level. And you can see the results that way. And when there's too much supervision from Washington, big government.

"It's really been a headwind to to education in America. And we could see it and it's totally correlated. It's very linear. The Department of Education was formed a few decades ago.

"So it's not like this is some great institution that's been around since the founders. It's been really detrimental in many ways and again, a complete waste of taxpayer money."

The Department of Education, established in 1979, has long been criticised by conservatives who argue that education decisions should be made at state and local levels.

Trump has previously described the department as wasteful and influenced by liberal ideology.

During the signing ceremony, Trump smiled as he held up the order, declaring it would "begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all".

The president criticised the department for its "spectacular failures" and promised to return federal education funding to individual states.

The changes are being spearheaded by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose rapid actions have faced legal challenges for potentially exceeding executive authority. Trump's administration has already begun gutting the agency, with its workforce reportedly being slashed in half. There have also been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences.

Despite Trump's decisive action, the Department of Education cannot be completely eliminated without congressional approval. Education Secretary Linda McMahon acknowledged that changes would not be immediate.

In a memo to staff, McMahon called the transition their "final mission" and urged employees to embrace the shift as an opportunity to reshape American education.

A White House fact sheet stated the order directs McMahon "to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure" whilst ensuring "the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits".