President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday to purportedly dismantle the Department of Education after weeks of cutting its staff and funding. While completely eliminating a federal department formed by an act of Congress requires congressional approval, which is far from certain, Trump has not been shy about defying constitutional checks on presidential power.
The pending order directs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive, to take "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States," while also ensuring "uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely," according to a White House summary of the order.
