Trump to sign order Thursday to begin dismantling of Education Department

(CNN) — President Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order on Thursday to start the process of dismantling the Department of Education, two administration officials told CNN, a move that will begin fulfilling a major campaign promise.

The president is set to make the move in a Thursday afternoon event at the White House, the officials said – which Republican governors, state education officials and school children are also invited to attend.

“President Trump’s executive order to expand educational opportunities will empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement.

While entirely shuttering the Department of Education would require an act of Congress, the president will direct Secretary Linda McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the states,” one of the administration officials said.

A senior administration official said federal funding for students with disabilities, who fall under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, along with Title I funding for low-income schools and federal student loan payments will not be changed by the order.

USA Today first reported on Thursday’s expected signing. CNN reported earlier this month that the White House was drafting the order to launch the process of closing the Department of Education.

It’s the latest move by the White House to test the president’s executive authority, with legal action already being prepared by education supporters who oppose the decision.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised that he would take steps to dismantle the agency once in office again, pointing to the department as a sign of federal overreach and tied it to culture war issues.

“I told Linda (McMahon), ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job in putting yourself out of a job.’ I want her to put herself out of a job – Education Department,” Trump said in February.

The expected signing follows the agency announcing workforce cuts of nearly 50% earlier this month, amounting to about 1,300 employees being laid off, in addition to hundreds who took voluntary “buyouts.”

Unions are already reacting.

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have aimed their wrecking ball at public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America, by dismantling public education to pay for tax handouts for billionaires,” National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a statement.

“If successful, Trump’s continued actions will hurt all students by sending class sizes soaring, cutting job training programs, making higher education more expensive and out of reach for middle class families, taking away special education services for students with disabilities, and gutting student civil rights protections,” she said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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