The groups argued that only Congress, not the president, has the authority to dismantle the Department of Education.
A coalition of advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday to block the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, calling the move illegal.
The groups asked the court to block the department’s closure, arguing that only Congress, not the president, has the authority to dismantle it since the department was created by Congress.
“Taken together, Defendants’ steps since January 20, 2025, constitute a de facto dismantling of the Department by executive fiat,” the groups stated in the complaint. “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.”
The coalition includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), public school parents, the National Education Association (NEA), and AFSCME Maryland Council 3.
NEA said that eliminating the department would put more than 400,000 educator jobs at risk and make it difficult to track the use of federal education funding approved by Congress.
Plaintiffs in that complaint include the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors, the Service Employees International Union, and two Massachusetts public school districts.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Education Department for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Trump’s March 20 order directed McMahon to take “all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
The Department of Education was created in 1979 and was pioneered by President Jimmy Carter as a form of welfare access to impoverished children.
The American Federation of Teachers has decried Trump’s order, saying that it would affect millions of students who depend on financial aid from the department to pursue their studies.
Stuart Liess contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
Running For Office? Conservative Campaign Consulting – Election Day Strategies!