President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will begin the dismantling of the Education Department, kick-starting a campaign promise to shutter the federal agency.
The Trump administration has already begun to gut the department, offering buyouts and laying off thousands of federal workers. The president has slammed the agency, calling for its powers to be moved to the states in order to increase student achievement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the order will make the Education Department “much smaller.” She also said that oversight of student loans and Pell Grants will still be housed in the department.
“Any critical functions of the department … will remain, but again, we’re greatly reducing the scale and the size of this department,” she added.
Education advocates and Democrats have condemned the move, and actually demolishing the agency would require an act of Congress. The president is expected to sign the order at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have doubled down on calls to impeach federal judges they say are obstructing the implementation of his agenda.
Follow along below for the latest updates out of the Trump White House.
