The White House said Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday to close the U.S. Department of Education, fulfilling an important campaign promise. The move has been challenged by some Democratic state attorneys general, who filed a lawsuit last week to try to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the Education Department and halting the firing of nearly half of the department's employees.
According to a White House fact sheet, the order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the United States while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of the services, programs and benefits Americans rely on."
The order also states that any projects or activities receiving remaining funds from the U.S. Department of Education should not “advance DEI or gender ideology.”