Secretary McMahon vows to make education 'better' for students so they won't be held 'prisoner' in schools

President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited executive order Thursday at the White House to begin dismantling the Department of Education, capping a campaign promise and setting up a congressional showdown.

Trump repeatedly vowed on the 2024 campaign trail to shut down the federal agency and give school power back to the states. The Education Department, however, was created by Congress in 1979 and cannot be unilaterally shuttered by executive action. It can only officially be dismantled by an act of Congress.