U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to formally begin the process of dismantling the Education Department, saying his administration is returning education back to the states.
Beyond the "core necessities, my administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department," Trump said in a speech at the White House.
The order instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to states.
Trump noted that the department's functions such as Pell Grants, Title I, and funding resources for children with disabilities and special needs, will be "fully preserved" and be "redistributed to various other agencies and departments."
Pell Grants are a form of federal financial aid that helps low-income undergraduate students pay for college. Title I provides federal funding to school districts and schools that serve a high percentage of students from low-income families, focusing on improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged students.
Under the U.S. law, Congressional approval is a necessary procedure for closing a federal agency. It is still unclear how he will proceed with this executive order.
The Education Department previously initiated a large-scale layoff. It announced a plan on March 11 to cut about 1,300 positions. Including employees who had agreed to resign or retire, this would represent a 50-percent reduction in staff.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the role of the Department of Education and has described it as "a big con job."
Trump signs executive order to begin dismantling education department
