Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attends the International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"And I believe, and I know the president does believe this as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child, where teachers and parents, local superintendents – working together and local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students – is the best way that it can happen," she said. "Funding from the United States government will continue through the programs, that is, that have already been established, and I will look forward to continuing to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. And I welcome the fact that these folks came today and expressed their concerns and shared in an open, collegial format their concerns and how we can lead now to work more together. That's the way it ought to operate. And I'm very happy to have had them here."
As McMahon concluded her remarks and attempted to turn the event back over to Democrats, Tankano interjected with a question for the secretary.
"When are you going to shut down this building?" he asked her in front of news cameras.
"Well, we've had our discussions already, so thank you all," McMahon said, leaving the podium and walking back into the building.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Trump signed an executive order on March 20 to significantly scale down the department while maintaining some of its core functions. It was unclear whether the department would continue to manage its $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio, as the order's language suggested bank functions could be moved to a more suitable entity. Privatization seems to remain on the table for the administration.
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"I have to say that the Secretary indicated more than once, that before she moved any functions of the department to other departments and the other place that, she was looking carefully at what the statute allows her to do," Tankano said on Wednesday. "That was refreshing information that the secretary relayed to all of us, and we certainly hope she sticks to what she told us today."
"I think part of the story of today is, you know, [the] president's campaign promise to shut this department down, is a lot of fluff. It's. You can't, it's illegal. He can't do it by law," he added.
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.
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