President Trump is expected to issue an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin taking the necessary steps to shutter the department.
An administration official told NewsNation White House correspondent Libbey Dean early Thursday that Trump would sign an executive order Thursday afternoon that directs McMahon to begin dissolving the Education Department.
The official White House schedule was updated Thursday morning with Trump signing unspecified executive orders at 2 p.m. EST.
A White House official later told Dean that Trump would not be signing the executive order dismantling the Education Department on Thursday while it is being reviewed.
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 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.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Education Department for comment.
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.”
She also recently laid out a “final mission” for the employees and said that while things are uncertain, “every staff member of this Department should be enthusiastic about any change that will benefit students.” McMahon specifically pointed to Trump’s recent executive orders on school choice and ridding schools of critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Updated at 10:56 a.m. EST
