US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he wants the federal Department of Education to be shut down immediately, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Trump said last week that he would like to close the department by executive order, but acknowledged that he would need the support of Congress and teachers' unions to fulfill that campaign promise.
An immediate shutdown of the department would lead to problems with allocating tens of billions of dollars to schools, Reuters notes.
Trump has spent his first few weeks in office pushing for major changes to the US government, asking federal employees who are working remotely to return to work in person or leave. He has also sought ways to cut spending and jobs, and is trying to close agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump proposed closing the Education Department during his first term (2017-2021), but Congress has not acted.
Conservative think tanks that have called for the department's closure say other agencies could run its programs and carry out its activities.