United States President Donald Trump announced that he should sign a decree on Thursday (20) determining the closure of the Department of Education, fulfilling one of his campaign promises, as a statement released by the White House.
Last month, the Republican already existed, but acknowledged that for such a measure being effective, it would be necessary to approve the congress and support of teacher unions.
However, the closure of the Department of Education does not only depend on the will of the president. For the measure to be completed, the Senate would need to approve the proposal with at least 60 votes among the 100 senators, which makes the action even more difficult, given the political division of Congress.
During the presidential campaign, Trump pledged to reduce the “government education sector” and fight what he called “public money abuse to indoctrinate American youth”.
In his speech, the president stated that education in the country is being harmed by a centralized federal system that does not deliver the desired results for students, parents and teachers. “Let’s drain the educational swamp of the government,” he exclaimed.
The White House also pointed out that the Department of Education would have spent more than $ 3 trillion since its inception in 1979, without, however, significantly improving students’ results on standardized tests.
Education Secretary Betsy McMahon is a constant criticism of what he considers to be the “excessive concentration of power” of the federal government on education. It defends the concept of “finance educational freedom, not the government.”
Although the president reiterated his intention to eliminate the department during the first term, proposals to close agencies such as the US Agency for International Development did not advance without due support from Congress.
In response to the department’s closing movement, a group of state-of-the-art prosecutors Democratic filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the measure and block the process of layoffs of almost half of the department team, which was announced last week.
However, the closure of the Education Department is the Trump government’s first significant attempt to close a cabinet level agency, something that can be complicated, considering the resistance of most Democrats in the Senate.
Impacts of closing
Senator Patty Murray, one of the strongest opponents, said the action of Trump and his counselor, billionaire Elon Musk, threatens to destroy the department of education and harm millions of American students, promising to fight what she described as a “cutting and burning campaign.”
The destruction of the Department of Education would also affect essential programs, such as subsidies for needy schools, and the supervision of student loans, a crucial resource for millions of Americans who are still unable to pay their university tuition fees.
The department is responsible for supervising about 100,000 public schools and 34,000 private schools across the country, as well as providing federal resources to ensure the payment of teachers and finance special education programs and school infrastructure.
In addition, the department manages approximately $ 1.6 trillion in student loans, essential for many students who face financial difficulties to complete their higher education.
