Donald Trump Begins Dismantling the Department of Education

WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

The Wall Street Journal

Society & Culture, News

4 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 March 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Surrounded by school children at desks, Donald Trump signs an executive order to begin the elimination of the Department of Education, moving to shift authority back to the states. What does the decision mean for grant money and student loan programs, what kind of legal challenges might the Trump administration face, and is this good politics? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.0	From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.
0:37.1	President Donald Trump signs an executive order directing
0:40.9	Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the Education Department, reviving a one-time
0:47.2	conservative ambition. But will the courts and Congress and voters get on board with the plan
0:53.1	this time.
0:58.5	Welcome to Potomac Watch, the daily podcast from the Wall Street Journal opinion pages.
1:03.5	I am Kim Strassel, and I am joined this week by two colleagues who look young enough to still be graduate students.
1:04.7	But don't let that fool you.
1:06.0	They are highly experienced policy hands, Manet Uquay Barua andwe-Burua and Alicia Finley. Donald Trump on Thursday signed his
1:14.4	order flanked by schoolchildren sitting at desk who signed many versions of that order.
1:19.8	I did love that touch. Let's listen to him talking about his real goal in putting out this
1:24.6	directive. My administration will take all lawful steps to shut down.
1:29.0	The department, we're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible.
1:33.2	It's doing us no good.
	...

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