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.”
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DO IT!!! Shut the damn thing down & return control to the states where it always belonged.