US court allows Trump to dissolve federal agency
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump to move forward with his plan for mass layoffs at the Department of Education, according to Reuters.
The court overturned a lower court ruling on July 14, giving the Trump administration the green light to resume its downsizing efforts.
US reaction
Democracy Forward, a liberal legal group representing the school districts and unions, said the court's action "dealt a devastating blow to this nation's promise of public education for all children."
"We will aggressively pursue every legal option as this case proceeds to ensure that all children in this country have access to the public education they deserve," said Skye Perryman, the group's president and CEO.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the Supreme Court's action had handed the president "the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out."
"Lifting the (lower court's block) will unleash untold harm, delaying or denying educational opportunities and leaving students to suffer from discrimination, sexual assault, and other civil rights violations without the federal resources Congress intended," wrote Sotomayor, who was joined by fellow liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Background
The Department of Education was established by Congress in 1979. Its responsibilities include managing college loan programs, tracking student achievement, enforcing civil rights in schools, and distributing federal funding to under-resourced districts and students with disabilities.
In March, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the department, fulfilling one of his campaign promises. Under the order, Secretary Linda McMahon is tasked with transferring its powers to state and local governments.
