Major shake-up: Trump pushes to shut down education department

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to scrap the Education Department he called a 'big con job.' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that sought to scrap the US Education Department, which he had in March referred to as a 'big con job.'Donald Trump had allegedly suggested closing it during his first term as president, yet Congress did nothing.

Executive order to scrap the Education Department

The Education Department, which is responsible for administering a variety of educational assistance programs, has more than 4,200 employees and a budget that reached $251 billion in the latest fiscal year.Donald Trump had earlier indicated that he would try to shut down the department via an executive order, although he acknowledged that this would need the backing of Congress and teachers' unions. Shutting down Education Department has implications, which could interrupt billions of dollars in funding for K-12 schools and college tuition aid programs, the report says.Trump's attempts to alter US govt operations.

Educational assistance programs

Donald Trump's executive order to abolish the Education Department is the most recent in the series of moves as part of his overall attempt to implement drastic changes in US government operations. Donald Trump has aimed at shrinking the federal government workforce and saving money, prodding government workers back into office work or out of the job market, and aiming government agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for shutdown.

Closing down the department

"The Department of Education's a huge scam,"reported Donald Trump saying to reporters last month, repeating his long-time criticism of the agency. Donald Trump had stated that Linda McMahon, his education secretary nominee, had been charged with closing down the department.This is the second time Donald Trump has suggested eliminating the Education Department, having brought it up during his first term from 2017 to 2021. It has been argued by conservative think tanks opposed to the abolition of the department that other agencies can take responsibility for running educational aid programs and regulation.