President Donald Trump was asked Tuesday while signing executive orders in the Oval Office why he would nominate a Secretary of Education for his administration if his desire is to eliminate the department.
“Why nominate Linda McMahon to be the Education Department secretary if you’re going to get rid of the Education Department?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked.
“Because I told Linda, ‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job.’ I want her to put herself out of a job,” Trump responded.
“What I want to do is, let the states run schools. I believe strongly in school choice. But in addition to that, I want the states to run schools. And I want Linda to put herself out of a job,” the president added.
Trump is reportedly preparing an executive order that would shrink the Department of Education and try to eventually abolish it. Trump does not have the power to eliminate it, something his order reportedly acknowledges. Only Congress can eliminate a government agency with an unlikely Senate supermajority of 60, filibuster-proof votes.
Trump can cut programs within the Department of Education that Congress did not create, however, and he can move programs to a different government agency, which would take power away from the DOE.