McMahon says Trump admin will 'do everything legally' in dismantling of Education Department
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Thursday President Trump is committed to using legal measures to dismantle the Department of Education.
“I think he was correct in saying that we were going to do everything legally. That's what he has said to me from the very beginning,” McMahon said during an evening appearance on Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier.
“He would like for me to move as swiftly as we can because he believes the sooner that we can close the department, the more efficiently we can have funds distributed to the states, and perhaps they will even have more funding when there isn't the overhead on bureaucracy from the Department of Education,” she added.
Trump signed a Thursday executive order seeking to pull apart the functions of the department, the brainchild of late President Jimmy Carter.
“Closing the Department of Education would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them. Today, American reading and math scores are near historical lows,” Trump wrote.
“This year's National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math. The Federal education bureaucracy is not working,” he added.
However, White House officials have confirmed they will wait for Congressional approval before the department goes de facto.
“I want Congress to be a partner in this. And I believe they will be, because both sides of the aisle know that what is happening to education in our country cannot be allowed to stand because we are failing our students,” McMahon told Baier.
Republicans hold the majority in both the House and the Senate and could gain the votes needed to approve the department’s closure. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has already promised to introduce legislation regarding the fulfillment of the executive order while President Trump has promised to reassign Title I funds and Pell Grants to other agencies for oversight.
His efforts follow that of former President Ronald Reagan, who first aimed to dismantle the department in 1981 but later settled for large cuts to the federal education budget.
Trump said the Department of Education’s closure would rid the nation of “federal bureaucracy” while Carter originally said creating the oversight would accomplish the same goal.
“Instead of setting a strong administrative model, the Federal structure has contributed to bureaucratic buck passing. Instead of stimulating needed debate of educational issues, the Federal Government has confused its role of junior partner in American education with that of silent partner,” Carters said when signing the Department of Education bill into law.
‘The time has passed when the Federal Government can afford to give second-level, part-time attention to its responsibilities in American education.”
The former president sought to standardize education across the country. Congress signed off on the Department of Education’s creation to ensure “access to equal educational opportunity for every individual.”
-
Trump moves against Department of Education: What to know
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the Department of Education as much as she can, carving a path of legislative and legal ...The Hill - 23h -
Trump signs executive order aiming to dismantle Department of Education
President Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the Department of Education, calling for Congress to support its full elimination.NBC News - 22h -
Trump says McMahon made decisions on mass layoffs at Education Department
President Trump on Wednesday said Education Secretary Linda McMahon was behind the mass layoffs at the agency, not mentioning tech billionaire Elon Musk while defending the overhaul. “When we cut— ...The Hill - Mar. 12 -
Top House Democrats urge McMahon, Trump administration to reverse decision on Department of Education
Top House Democrats urged Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump administration to reverse a Thursday move to begin dismantling the Department of Education. “Students, teachers, and ...The Hill - 16h -
Trump signs executive order to dismantle the Education Department
Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department. Complete elimination would require congressional approval.NBC News - 23h -
When will the Department of Education be dissolved? Secretary McMahon doesn't know
Linda McMahon said Friday that President Donald Trump "intends" to sign an executive order to dissolve the Department of Education -- but it's still unclear when.ABC News - Mar. 7 -
Trump to sign order Thursday dismantling Department of Education
President Trump is expected to sign an order on Thursday to launch the Department of Education's dismantling. A White House official told NewsNation that the anticipated executive order, first ...The Hill - 1d -
Trump ‘can’t unilaterally dismantle' Dept. of Education without Congress, says fmr. secretary
President Trump signs an executive order aimed at dismantling the Department of Education. Former Education Secretary John King Jr. says he expects to see bipartisan support in Congress to maintain ...NBC News - 22h -
Trump signs order to dismantle US education department
The move, which he promised to do on the campaign trail, is already facing legal challenges.BBC News - 16h
More from The Hill
-
CBO projects deficits will sharply rise if Trump tax cuts made permanent
New projections from Congress’s official legislative scorer show deficit levels will explode if the Trump tax cuts are made permanent and not simply extended. In response to a inquiry from Ways and ...The Hill - 33m -
Rubio slams CNN report he's 'frustrated' by Witkoff's role
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday slammed a CNN report claiming he is "frustrated" by the role one of President Trump’s closest friends, billionaire Steve Witkoff, is playing in the ...The Hill - 38m -
Trump says ‘contract’ being drafted on ‘dividing up’ land in Ukraine war
President Trump said that “contracts” are being negotiated to divide up land as part of a final deal ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and reiterated that a ceasefire could come “pretty soon.” “They ...The Hill - 39m -
Voice of America deserves criticism, but let’s fix it to tell America’s story
VOA has been struggling to fulfill its mission as a federal agency, with budget cuts, remote work, while also facing criticism for its lack of objectivity and bias in its reporting. Allow a ...The Hill - 47m -
Florida Democratic candidates comfortably outraise GOP opponents in special election
The two Democrats running in special elections to fill vacant House seats in Florida overwhelmingly outraised their Republican opponents despite being long shots to win early next month. Democrats ...The Hill - 52m
More in Politics
-
CBO projects deficits will sharply rise if Trump tax cuts made permanent
New projections from Congress’s official legislative scorer show deficit levels will explode if the Trump tax cuts are made permanent and not simply extended. In response to a inquiry from Ways and ...The Hill - 33m -
Rubio slams CNN report he's 'frustrated' by Witkoff's role
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday slammed a CNN report claiming he is "frustrated" by the role one of President Trump’s closest friends, billionaire Steve Witkoff, is playing in the ...The Hill - 38m -
Trump says ‘contract’ being drafted on ‘dividing up’ land in Ukraine war
President Trump said that “contracts” are being negotiated to divide up land as part of a final deal ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and reiterated that a ceasefire could come “pretty soon.” “They ...The Hill - 39m -
Voice of America deserves criticism, but let’s fix it to tell America’s story
VOA has been struggling to fulfill its mission as a federal agency, with budget cuts, remote work, while also facing criticism for its lack of objectivity and bias in its reporting. Allow a ...The Hill - 47m -
Florida Democratic candidates comfortably outraise GOP opponents in special election
The two Democrats running in special elections to fill vacant House seats in Florida overwhelmingly outraised their Republican opponents despite being long shots to win early next month. Democrats ...The Hill - 52m