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    Report: Trump To Sign Order To Shutter Dept. Of Education

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Monday, February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House photo by Abe McNatt)

    An administration official told NewsNation White House correspondent Libbey Dean that Trump will sign an executive order Thursday afternoon that directs McMahon to begin dissolving the Education Department

    The executive order, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, has been in the works since before Trump was sworn into office in January.

    The draft of the order recognizes that the president does not have the authority to abolish the department and that it would likely take 60 votes in the Senate, where Republicans hold only 53 seats, The Washington Post reported.

    But it directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law,” according to the Journal.

    “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,” the draft order reportedly reads.

    The official White House schedule was updated Thursday morning with Trump signing unspecified executive orders at 2 p.m. EST.

    The Post also noted that the draft was labeled “pre-decisional,” citing a personal familiar with the matter who cautioned that its details could change before it is final.

    McMahon was confirmed Monday to lead the Education Department. That evening, she foreshadowed the executive order in a letter in which she described her goal of making education a matter for the states.

    “My vision is aligned with the President’s: to send education back to the states and empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” she wrote. “As a mother and grandmother, I know there is nobody more qualified than a parent to make educational decisions for their children.”

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Harvard Sues Trump Admin. Over Foreign Student Ban

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    4
    PaWikiCom, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its decision to terminate the university’s student visa program. 

    Harvard said the policy will affect more than 7,000 visa holders and is a “blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act,” per its court filing.

    On Thursday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered Harvard to be taken off the Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. The order effectively bans Harvard from enrolling international students and forces current ones, who make up roughly a quarter of the school’s student population, to transfer. 

    DHS moved to terminate the program after Harvard allegedly failed to provide it with the extensive behavioral records of student visa holders the department requested. DHS offered Harvard 72 hours on Thursday to come into compliance with the request. 

    As of now, Harvard may no longer enroll foreign students in the 2025–2026 school year, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status to reside in the U.S. before the next academic year begins. International students made up 27 percent of Harvard’s student body in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

    The records requested include any footage of protest activity involving students on visas and the disciplinary records of all students on visas in the last five years. 

    Requested records also include footage or documentation of illegal, dangerous or violent activity by student visa holders, any records of threats or the deprivation of rights of other students or university personnel.

    Harvard President Alan Gerber announced the suit in a letter to the Harvard community.

    “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the complaint reads. 

    The administration has launched a multi-front pressure campaign against the school for refusing to bow to its demands for changes to its admissions and hiring policies, as well as getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and a stronger stance against antisemitism.  

    Last month, the school sued the administration for freezing more than $2 billion in federal funding unless it complies with various demands. 

    Trump Signs Executive Order Dismantling Dept. of Education

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    President Trump signed an executive order Thursday seeking to facilitate his longstanding goal of eliminating the Department of Education.

    While the order recognizes it would take an act of Congress to completely shutter the department, Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to do all she can to achieve its end.  

    “Today, we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making,” he said at a signing ceremony at the East Room of the White House that included multiple school-age children sitting at classroom desks. “I will sign an executive order to begin eliminating the federal Department of Education.” 

    “The department’s useful functions […] will be preserved, fully preserved,” Trump added, referring to Pell Grants, Title I funding and programs for students with disabilities. “They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments.” 

    “But beyond these core necessities, my administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department. We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible,” he added at the ceremony, which was attended by Republican lawmakers and governors including Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

    The White House said earlier Thursday the Education Department will still keep its critical functions that are mandated by Congress.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    © Great America News Desk 2022