President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will begin the dismantling of the Education Department, kick-starting a campaign promise to shutter the federal agency.
The Trump administration has already begun to gut the department, offering buyouts and laying off thousands of federal workers. The president has slammed the agency, calling for its powers to be moved to the states in order to increase student achievement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the order will make the Education Department “much smaller.” She also said that oversight of student loans and Pell Grants will still be housed in the department.
“Any critical functions of the department … will remain, but again, we’re greatly reducing the scale and the size of this department,” she added.
Education advocates and Democrats have condemned the move, and actually demolishing the agency would require an act of Congress. The president is expected to sign the order at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have doubled down on calls to impeach federal judges they say are obstructing the implementation of his agenda.
Follow along below for the latest updates out of the Trump White House.
Trump signs order on critical mineral production
President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order intended to boost production of critical minerals in the U.S. and confirmed a deal to gain access to minerals in Ukraine was still on track.
Trump signed the order behind closed doors at the White House. A spokesperson said the order would streamline permitting to allow for increased mining of the minerals. Full text of the order was not immediately available.
Trump signs executive order to dismantle Department of Education
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday seeking to facilitate his longstanding goal of eliminating the Department of Education.
While the order recognizes it would take an act of Congress to completely shutter the department, Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to do all she can to achieve its end.
Here’s who is in the East Room ahead of Trump’s executive order signing
President Trump is joined with several Republican state leaders and lawmakers in the East Room of the White House as he prepares to sign an order to dismantle the Education Department.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.)
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Watch live: Trump set to sign order on Education Department
Watch the education event at the White House right here, right now.
French scientist denied entry to US over anti-Trump messages
A French scientist was denied entry to the United States this month over messages critical of President Trump’s administration’s research policies, according to France’s government.
Philippe Baptiste, France’s minister for higher education, said “he had learned with concern that a French academic who was going to a conference in Houston was denied entry before being deported” back to Europe.
The academic, who was not named, was on assignment for the National Center for Scientific Research, according to Baptiste.
Sanders: Tour with Ocasio-Cortez meant to encourage more independent candidates
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a Thursday report from The New York Times that his tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is meant to encourage more independent candidates to run.
“One of the aspects of this tour is to try to rally people to get engaged in the political process and run as independents outside of the Democratic Party,” Sanders told the Times.
“There’s a lot of great leadership all over this country at the grass-roots level. We’ve got to bring that forward. And if we do that, we can defeat Trumpism and we can transform the political situation in America,” he added.
UK issues travel warning for US
The United Kingdom updated its advice for travel to the United States on Thursday, warning of harsh consequences for British passport holders who violate U.S. immigration laws.
The notice comes just a day after Germany updated its travel advice after three of its citizens were detained trying to enter the U.S.
Former surgeon general blasts RFK Jr.’s rhetoric, highlights herd immunity amid measles outbreak
Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned that vaccine skepticism has eroded the importance of herd immunity in light of the measles outbreak in Texas, and put some of the blame on Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In an op-ed published by CNN on Thursday, Adams wrote that the high rate of vaccine decline in the Texas Mennonite community where the measles outbreak began highlights how quickly measles can spread through an unvaccinated population.
White House: ‘Critical functions’ will stay under Department of Education
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said all the critical functions of the Department of Education will remain ahead of President Trump signing an executive order to dismantle the federal agency.
“The Department of Education will be much smaller than it is today. As you know, the president’s executive order directed Linda McMahon to greatly minimize the agency. So, when it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education,” she told reporters at the White House.
Top Democrats, unions condemn upcoming Trump order to dismantle Education Department
Democrats and teachers’ unions are condemning the upcoming executive order President Trump is expected to sign Thursday dismantling the Department of Education.
Trump has long called to end the department, and, under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, his administration has reduced its size by half, alongside Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government more broadly. An executive order moving to shutter the federal agency has been in the works for weeks, and Democratic leaders and education groups are united against the move.
DNC invests in Florida special elections
The Democratic National Committee announced an investment in two April special House races in Florida on Thursday.
The Hill was the first outlet to learn of the investment, which according to the DNC will allow the Florida Democratic Party to bring in “additional full-time organizing capacity to mobilize voters and volunteers on the ground” in the state’s first and sixth congressional districts.
The investment will also cover the roll out of a voter protection program in the two districts, which will include over 200 poll watchers and greeters to be deployed on Election Day. The DNC did not provide a specific dollar amount for the investment.
Florida has become a red state over the past decade, making the DNC investment more notable. Trump carried the state by 13 points in November.
“I ran for DNC Chair on a platform to compete in elections everywhere – in all 57 states and territories and across all 3,244 counties,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Trump says crypto will ‘unleash an explosion of economic growth’
President Trump offered praise for the crypto world Thursday, suggesting the industry will “unleash an explosion of economic growth.”
“Pioneers like you will be able to improve our banking and payment system and promote greater privacy, safety, security and wealth for American consumers and businesses alike,” Trump said in virtual remarks at the Digital Asset Summit in New York.
Higgins turns down run for Cassidy’s Louisiana Senate seat
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) will not run for Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) seat next year after raising speculation that he might, he announced Thursday.
Higgins noted several polls from the GOP Trafalgar Group that indicated Republicans in the state wanted to see him run for the seat and that he had received encouragement to launch a bid.
“For the past year, because so many Patriots privately encouraged me to seek the Senate seat surely to be strongly contested in 2026, I have calmly studied a potential transition of my Congressional service from the People’s House to the esteemed Senate,” he said in a statement posted on X.
“Now, it is my considered determination that current engagement in the House being incredibly significant, it may be ultimately more beneficial to the Republic that I remain in service to the MAGA America First agenda as a senior Republican in the House of Representatives,” he continued.
Hawley to introduce legislation to curb court rulings against Trump agenda
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he will introduce legislation to curb what he says is a “dramatic abuse of judicial authority” by courts that have issued injunctions against President Trump’s agenda, including the deportation of alleged criminal gang members.
“District Court judges have issued RECORD numbers of national injunctions against the Trump administration — a dramatic abuse of judicial authority. I will introduce legislation to stop this abuse for good,” Hawley posted on the social media site X.
GOP lawmaker booed for DOGE defense at Wyoming town hall
Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) was loudly booed for defending the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) work at a Wyoming town hall, standing behind the advisory board’s work while touting the current administration’s agenda.
Hageman, who is Wyoming’s at-large congressional representative, backed the action President Trump’s administration has taken so far and brought up her vote for the Laken Riley Act. Both topics were met with disapproval from the crowd at the Laramie Civic Center on Wednesday night.
But the most forceful rebuke of the House lawmaker came when she attempted to defend DOGE’s work.
Jewish scholars condemn cancelation of federal funding to Columbia
A group of 400 Jewish professors and students have written a letter condemning the cancelation of some $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, a move the Trump administration says is in response to the school’s handling of antisemitism.
“We are Jewish faculty, scholars, and students at U.S. universities — representative of the community that this administration purports to be protecting from antisemitism on campuses. Let us be clear: These actions do not protect us,” the letter reads.
Jordan sees ‘another legislative remedy’ besides judicial impeachment
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is planning hearings on judges who block Trump administration actions and eyeing legislation to place limits on judicial power as calls to impeach those judges ramp up.
Those actions, Jordan suggested in a CNN interview on Wednesday, could be “another legislative remedy” to address the matter.
Impeachments that President Trump, Elon Musk, and GOP lawmakers are calling for have virtually no chance of removing any of the judges. Even if the razor-thin House majority impeached a judge, it would take support from at least 14 Democrats to convict in the Senate.
But Jordan is not completely ruling out impeachment, a process that has traditionally moved through the House Judiciary Committee.
Dismantling Education Department would put many students at risk, top Democrat says
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the ranking member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, says President Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education would put students at risk across the country.
In a statement, Scott highlighted Trump’s plan to sign an executive order Thursday that would seek to disband the Education Department (ED) and return its authority to individual states.
Zelensky describes exchange with Trump on nuclear power plant ‘ownership’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said talks with President Trump about ownership of Ukrainian nuclear power plants focused only on the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is currently under Russian occupation.
Zelensky made his remarks during a Zoom briefing with reporters Wednesday night, responding to a question from the Financial Times.
Georgetown researcher detained by ICE
A Georgetown University postdoctoral scholar has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making him the latest foreign student inside the country legally who’s been caught in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown at universities.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, was arrested Monday night in Arlington, Va., Politico first reported Wednesday from a legal filing in the case. Officers told Suri that his visa had been revoked.
Smith on Trump dismantling Education Department: ‘More bulls‑‑‑’
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) blasted President Trump over reports he will sign an executive order Thursday to begin the demolition of the Education Department, calling it “more bulls‑‑‑.”
“I will fight your illegal behavior until the cows come home, and I’m pretty sure the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve contacted my office since you started this nonsense are on the same page,” she wrote Wednesday evening on the social platform X, highlighting a Fox News article about the move.
To dismantle the department, Congress would have to sign off on Trump’s order.
“@realDonaldTrump, you can’t shut down the Department of Education — and you know it. Fox News even knows it,” Smith wrote. “So stop it.”
Trump presses Federal Reserve to cut rates
President Trump again pressed the Federal Reserve to cut interbank lending rates as the administration’s sweeping tariffs are set to resume next month.
“The Fed would be MUCH better off CUTTING RATES as U.S. Tariffs start to transition (ease!) their way into the economy. Do the right thing,” Trump wrote Wednesday night in a post on Truth Social. “April 2nd is Liberation Day in America!!!”
Michigan Republican presses Chavez-DeRemer to rescind Biden-era labor regulations
House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) is pressing Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to rescind several Biden-era labor regulations in order to improve, in his view, the lives of workers, job seekers and retirees.
Walberg, who was elected as the committee’s chair in December, said he is eager to work with the Labor Department, its leader, Chavez-DeRemer, the former House lawmaker who represented Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, and President Trump’s administration to “improve training opportunities for workers, to expand access to health care, and to develop more robust compliance assistance.”
Republicans want Musk to shut up about Social Security
Senate Republicans want Elon Musk to stop talking about Social Security, and the Department of Government Efficiency to leave it alone.
Musk’s statement that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme,” and his plans to cut up to 12 percent of the Social Security Administration’s workforce, are giving GOP lawmakers heartburn.
Democrat says he doesn’t trust Trump administration on federal worker buyouts
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) on Wednesday shared his lack of faith in the Trump administration to honor the buyouts it offered to thousands of federal workers amid its moves to overhaul the government.
“I’ve told people not to take the buyout,” Mfume said during a rally. “I don’t trust the government. I never thought I’d say that before.”