Trump's disputed decision, which has been in the works for several weeks, was presented at a ceremony attended by several Republican governors. Linda McMahon, the "last education minister" as Trump called her, was also present.
In his speech, Trump harshly criticized the department, claiming that the bureaucracy in Washington is destroying the US schools and that education will cost half as much as today and produce a much better result when run by the states.
He said he was inspired by China - and the Scandinavian countries.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden. I must give them credit. States that function well will have an education that is as good as in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
Can be stopped in court
McMahon has previously been tasked with taking "all necessary measures" to shut down the department and transfer the responsibility to the states. At the same time, according to USA Today, it is required that "services, programs, and benefits that Americans rely on" are not interrupted.
The department will not be closed immediately, as Congress, which established it in 1979, must also decide on a dissolution. If the elected officials even get the question. The decision is already being stopped in court, says Republican Senator Mitch McConnell according to NBC.
Regardless of whether he gets to close the entire department, Trump has already radically cut the staff, with only about half of the previous 4,100 employees remaining.
About 13 percent of the funding for elementary and high schools comes from the federal treasury.
"Terrible"
The decision is met with strong protests.
"Trump is telling students in public schools in the US that their future doesn't matter", writes Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to NBC, and gets support from Chuck Schumer, her party colleague in the Senate.
This terrible decision will be felt by teachers, parents, school leaders, and in the quality of the education our children receive, he says at a press conference.
The courts must act to uphold the rule of law and stop Donald Trump's tyrannical abuse of power.
