US President Donald Trump signed an executive order at a White House ceremony surrounded by students and teachers to effectively abolish the Federal Department of Education.
The decision was part of Trump’s campaign promises, who took office two months ago. The executive order puts education management almost entirely in the hands of states and local boards. To completely shut down the department would require an act of the U.S. Congress, for which Trump lacks the votes of lawmakers, Reuters writes. “We’re going to bring education, very simply, back to the States where it belongs,” Trump said, calling the decision the right thing to do and adding that it should be implemented as soon as possible.
The White House argues that eliminating the department will improve student test scores and save money, but Democrats and other critics of the move say West will put the most vulnerable students in a difficult position. The order, the latest in President Trump’s sweeping overhaul of government agencies, was released after the education department announced last week that it was laying off nearly half of its staff.