NY Congressional Democrats seethe over Trump’s executive order to shut down US Department of Education

President Trump’s executive order on Thursday directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to shut down the cabinet department she oversees drew immediate backlash from New York Congressional Democrats.

Trump’s order instructs McMahon to return authority over education back to the states, according to published reports. However, permanently eliminating the agency requires an act of Congress, and while Democrats are in the minority in both chambers, they still have some leverage to block the Republican effort.

The executive order comes as Trump has been making moves to shrink the department’s purview and cut its staff in half over the past few days.

House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Brooklyn) slammed the executive order as Trump taking a “chainsaw to public education in America.”

“Shutting down the Department of Education will harm millions of children in our nation’s public schools, their families and hardworking teachers,” Jeffries said in a statement. “Class sizes will soar, educators will be fired, special education programs will be cut, and college will get even more expensive, at a time when the cost of living is already too high.”

Jeffries pledged to stand against any House Republican efforts advancing legislation to shutter the department, even though the GOP holds the majority in the House.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries slams Trump order shutting US Department of Education — “Shutting down the Department of Education will harm millions of children in our nation’s public schools, their families and hardworking teachers,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) said in a statement.REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

The US Department of Education was established in 1979 by the late President Jimmy Carter to administer national education policy and distribute federal education aid. It also oversees special education and English as a second language learning programs.

The agency has long been the target of conservatives, who argue it is unnecessary because states and localities should run education policy. Much of the backlash in recent years has been driven by school shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the department would continue to perform its core functions, such as enforcing civil rights laws and distributing financial aid. But US Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn), in a statement, said Leavitt’s remarks ring hollow.

“While Trump claims this order won’t affect the Office for Civil Rights, he has already gutted nearly half of its staff and closed field offices in New York City and across the country, disrupting their essential work combating discrimination in schools and paving the way for hate — including antisemitism — to spread unchecked across our campuses,” Goldman said.

Goldman added that dismantling the agency would “throw student loan and financial aid programs into disarray, putting college and vocational training out of reach for working families nationwide.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) said Trump’s order “shows a blatant disregard for our democracy, as only Congress has the authority to abolish federal agencies.”

“Trump and Elon Musk have once again upended the lives of federal employees and harmed millions of people nationwide—all to cut government spending on essential services to fund tax breaks for the wealthy,” Meeks added. “The GOP assault on students will increase class sizes by laying off teachers, hurt children with disabilities and push college and job training out of reach.”