ABC 10: CALIFORNIA LEADERS SOUND OFF AFTER TRUMP ORDERS PLAN TO DISMANTLE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, and California's leadership are slamming the move.
President Trump announced his plan Thursday. Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979.
"The Trump Administration knows, and even acknowledges, that the President cannot eliminate the U.S. Department of Education without Congressional approval. Yet it continues to do everything it can to destroy the Department’s ability to carry out its most vital, congressionally-mandated functions – with the clearly stated ‘final mission’ of shuttering the Department for good," said Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Bonta said his office will be examining what the order does and monitoring how the president's instructions translate into action.
“Rest assured: I will not let President Trump’s reckless efforts to fulfill his campaign promises come at the expense of the health, education, and well-being of our kids. I will not stand by when the President breaks the law," Bonta said.
Governor Gavin Newsom kept his statement brief, but called for the order's rejection.
“This overreach needs to be rejected immediately by a co-equal branch of government. Or was Congress eliminated by this executive order, too?” Newsom said.
Tony Thurmond, state superintendent for California, reiterated that only Congress can close a department that they created.
"The actions specified in this Executive Order are unlawful for the Executive Branch to enact alone. The order claims to champion local control in education while threatening state and local educational entities with loss of funding if they exercise local control in their policies and curricula," Thurmond said.
Thurmond said he's already filed a declaration in the lawsuit over the withholding of federal funding based on school curriculum.
Other entities potentially impacted by the move is the University of California.
"The U.S. Department of Education provides critical services and programs for students, educators, and educational institutions nationwide, including the University of California. We have serious concerns about the implications of the executive order and its potential impact on the University of California system, our K-12 partners and the individuals we serve," a spokesperson for the University of California told ABC10.
Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-07) slammed the move as well, saying it would have "dire consequences" for those underserved.
“President Trump has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in providing for everyday Americans. He has already targeted our families’ health care, nutrition, and safety – and now, he has made it his mission to dismantle our children’s futures and gut our public education system,” Congresswoman Matsui said. “Shutting down the Department of Education would have dire consequences that will impact our most underserved for generations. Our public education system provides free and equal access to all children, regardless of their circumstances. The Department of Education is the backbone of our higher education system, it provides children with disabilities a safe place to learn, fresh food to those who need it, and crucial assistance to struggling parents.”
The White House says the department will not close completely right now. It is to retain certain critical functions, like managing Pell grants and money for children with disabilities.
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