A draft version of a new executive order indicates Donald Trump is set to abolish the US Department of Education, which has roots dating back to 1867.
The department as we know it today was officially created by the government in 1979, but President Andrew Johnson actually signed legislation creating the first Department of Education all the way back in 1867, according to the department's website.
The original job of the department was to collect information and statistics about the nation's schools, but it was demoted to an Office of Education the following year.
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In 1979, Congress declared the new department would focus on ensuing equal educational opportunity, encourage involvement of the public in Federal education programs, and promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education, among other tasks.
More than 40 years on, President Trump is expected to issue an executive order abolishing the department as soon as today (March 6).
The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which viewed a draft version of the order and spoke with people briefed on the matter.
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Per the outlet, the order directs the new Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to 'take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department' based on 'the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law'.
The draft version of the order was labeled as 'pre-decisional', indicating it was subject to change.
However, at the time it was viewed, it read: “The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families."
McMahon was confirmed to serve as Trump’s secretary of the Department of Education on Monday (March 3), and that evening she sent an email to staff sharing plans to 'send education back to the states'.
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Per The Journal, McMahon added that Trump and his supporters had 'tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of the bureaucratic bloat here at the Education Department—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly'.
In order for the executive order to go ahead, it would require a 60-vote majority in the Senate. Currently, the department is responsible for delivering federal funding to nearly every public K-12 school in the US, as well as managing $1.6 trillion in its federal student loan portfolio.
The draft order doesn’t mention Congress' involvement in carrying out the order, but McMahon has previously acknowledged that she would need the support of Congress to take action against the department.
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During her confirmation hearing, she said: "We'd like to do this right. That certainly does require congressional action."
Topics: Donald Trump, Education, US News
Emily Brown