AsianFin -- Fulfilling a long-standing campaign pledge, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the Department of Education to begin winding down its operations in preparation for eventual closure.
The order, which lacks detailed implementation plans, follows the department’s recent announcement of mass layoffs, cutting its workforce by half. The move casts uncertainty over the future of federal education programs, which oversee billions in funding for K-12 schools and manage the federal student loan system.
During a signing ceremony, where he was surrounded by children at school desks, Trump declared that his administration was "returning education to the states where it belongs." He assured that essential programs—including Title I funding for low-income schools, special education resources, and Pell Grants for undergraduates—would be fully preserved and reassigned to other agencies.
"Beyond these core necessities, this administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department," Trump said. "We're going to shut it down as quickly as possible. It’s doing us no good."
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