Trump to Sign Order Designed to Close Education Department

Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designed to close the Education Department, the White House confirmed—though shuttering the agency entirely will require an act of Congress. Trump will direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely,” a White House fact sheet said. USA Today first reported on the impending executive order, which is likely to draw legal challenges. The Education Department’s workforce has already been halved, and dozens of grants and contracts canceled. The department was created by Congress in 1979, and therefore would require 60 votes in the Senate to do away with it entirely. Republicans hold 53 seats in that chamber. McMahon’s confirmation vote earlier this month was fiercely partisan, with all voting Republicans supporting the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO’s nomination.