Trump signs an order to begin dismantling the Department of Education

WashingtonDonald Trump delivered the biggest blow this Thursday in his witch hunt against U.S. educational institutions. After firing 1,300 employees from the Department of Education, he suspended federal funding to universities like Columbia. for the protests against Gaza, and detain at least two international students with legal status in the country from participating in last year's pro-Palestinian sit-ins, Trump has ordered the dismantling of the Department of Education to begin. The executive branch does not have the authority to do so, although it can financially strangle an agency that is primarily responsible for funding programs for the most vulnerable students.

"My administration will take every legal step to shut down the department. We will shut it down, and we will do it as quickly as possible," Trump announced at an event in the East Room of the White House, surrounded by students. The tycoon has already hinted that he intends to take his crusade to Congress, which is the institution that does have the authority to shut it down.

"We will eliminate the Department of Education, and everyone knows it's the right thing to do, and the Democrats know it's the right thing to do, and I hope they will vote for it," said Trump, who knows that with the narrow majority he holds in both chambers of Congress, he does not have enough votes to close the department. A proposal like this requires a supermajority in Congress, and Democrats are unlikely to vote in favor.

The tycoon has justified the decision as a measure to put the education system on the level of "Denmark" or "China" and has once again repeated the fallacy that it is necessary to return educational powers to the states. "We will return education to the states, where it belongs. And it's a very popular thing to do, but more importantly, it's common sense," the president said. The reality is that the vast majority of the school curriculum is already dictated by the states. Ninety percent of the funding comes from the states themselves, while the remaining 10% comes from Education, which funds programs aimed at the most vulnerable students, such as Title I.

Among these functions, he said, would be the student loan program, Pell Grants, civil rights enforcement, and the major Title I and IDEA grant programs, which help cover the cost of education for students with disabilities. Together, these programs represent the vast majority of the department's activities.

Congress created the department in 1979 to oversee public education funding, create policies, and, above all, ensure educational equality. Rendering it virtually inoperative is part of the president's culture war, as his platform already promised to pursue and cut funding to any schools that implemented equality, equity, and inclusion policies and taught critical race theory or sex education. On the other hand, he promised to restore Bible reading in all schools.

Despite the White House's assurances that it will maintain the "critical functions" of the department, which at the beginning of the year had 4,133 employees, last week's layoff of some 1,300 workers already raised concerns about whether it would be possible to ensure the proper functioning of education programs and loans. Added to the new cuts is the fact that 572 employees accepted Trump's incentive layoff plan, and 63 probationary workers were laid off last month.