Trump wants to close the US Department of Education 'immediately'

US President Donald Trump said on February 12 that he wanted to close the US Department of Education, one of his campaign pledges.

“I want this agency closed immediately. The US Department of Education is a big scam,” Mr. Trump said at a press conference at the White House on February 12.

According to Reuters, President Trump said last week that he wanted to use an executive order to close the Department of Education, but admitted that he needed support from Congress and teachers unions, a plan he had put forward during his presidential campaign.

Mr. Trump speaks in the Oval Office on February 12.

The sudden shutdown could affect tens of billions of dollars in tuition assistance for U.S. students and some Republicans and conservative think tanks have suggested the aid could be reassigned to other agencies.

Mr. Trump said he had assigned the task of closing the department to Ms. Linda McMahon, the nominee for US Secretary of Education.

In the United States, the responsibility for running schools and setting curriculum lies with individual states and local districts. Meanwhile, the Department of Education is responsible for allocating loans, tuition assistance, and grants to students. The majority of public funding for schools in the United States comes from state and local governments.

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The US Department of Education, established in 1979, now has about 4,400 employees, making it the smallest cabinet-level agency, according to the BBC.

Mr. Trump's intention to completely close the above cabinet agency is considered difficult to realize, as this requires approval from 60 senators, while the Republican Party has 53 senators. The Washington Post reported that in the draft of the plan to dissolve the US Department of Education, Mr. Trump admitted that Congress has the power to completely dissolve the agency, but an executive order could reduce the department's activities.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-muon-dong-cua-bo-giao-duc-my-ngay-lap-tuc-18525021310583021.htm