(Reuters) – U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday said she would lead a “final mission” to end bloat at the government department that President Donald Trump has targeted for closure, and that she aimed to transfer oversight of education to state governments.
“Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education – a momentous final mission – quickly and responsibly,” McMahon said in a statement posted on the Department of Education’s website.
McMahon, who was confirmed by the Senate earlier in the day, said the “overhaul” would profoundly impact staff, budgets and agency operations at the department.
Trump has said he would like to close the Department of Education using an executive order, but acknowledged he would need buy-ins from Congress and teachers’ unions to fulfill his campaign pledge to do so.
The statement appeared to stop short of calling for the department’s closure. Instead, McMahon said she would work with Congress and other federal agencies to determine the “best path forward.”
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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