Plan To Dismantle U.S. Education Department Unclear, Critics Say

President Donald Trump has criticized the U.S. Department of Education as wasteful and overly influenced by liberal ideology.

Republican lawmakers have vowed to introduce legislation to eliminate the department, but Democrats have strongly opposed the move. I Photos: G. Edward Johnson / Farragutful Wikimedia Commons

However, dismantling the department is likely impossible without an act of Congress, which established it in 1979, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Republican lawmakers have vowed to introduce legislation to eliminate the department, but Democrats have strongly opposed the move, calling it as vague as many of Trump’s other policy proposals.

Trump’s executive order states that the education secretary will, “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the states and local communities.”

However, the order provides no details on how this will be accomplished, or which specific areas will be targeted.

The White House has stated that the department will retain certain critical functions. Trump has also indicated that some key responsibilities—such as Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell Grants, and funding for students with disabilities—will remain intact.