Trump to sign order to shut down Department of Education, White House says

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order Thursday aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling a long-held goal of American conservatives.

The White House announced this, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The order will oblige Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary measures" to facilitate the closure of the department "and return education authority to the states."

Trump has repeatedly called for the closure of the US Department of Education. In December 2024, during his election campaign, he promised to abolish the agency, justifying this by the fact that the department's activities are redundant and create unnecessary bureaucracy. Trump believes that the functions of the agency can be performed by departments at the state level.

WSJ notes that attempts to close the department or transfer its functions to other organizations without congressional approval could cause legal problems for the Trump administration.