A coalition including the NAACP and the National Education Association, the largest teachers union, sued the Trump administration Monday over its "illegal attempts to dismantle" the Education Department.
"Taken together, Defendants' steps since January 20, 2025, constitute a de facto dismantling of the Department by executive fiat," the lawsuit reads. "But the Constitution gives power over ‘the establishment of offices [and] the determination of their functions and jurisdiction' to Congress — not to the President or any officer working under him."
Because the department is a congressionally created federal agency, legally eliminating it or its constituent offices, or transferring them to other federal agencies, requires the approval of Congress, the lawsuit adds.
Other plaintiffs include public school parents and AFSCME Maryland Council 3, a public workers union.
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that's been a longtime target of conservatives.
The order says the education secretary will, "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities."
Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its "core necessities," preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants, and money for children with disabilities.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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