Donald Trump targets that ministry: 'I want it closed immediately'

US President Donald Trump continues to take strict measures to reduce public spending since taking office. Most recently targeting the Department of Education, Trump argued that the ministry should be closed. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated that the education system contains serious problems and said, "I want it closed immediately."

Trump alleged that there are large-scale irregularities in the Department of Education and questioned the institution's efficiency. Drawing attention to the US's international ranking in education, Trump said, "They ranked the top 40 countries in the world. We are 40th. But we are number one in one category: Cost per student." Emphasizing that the US is the country that spends the most per student despite lagging behind in education quality, Trump pointed to serious problems in the system by saying, "We were between 38 and 40. The last time I looked, it was 38. And I looked at the new list two days ago. It was 40th. So we are 40th."

"SOMETHING IS WRONG"

Comparing the US's educational success with other countries, Trump said, "Norway, Denmark, Sweden. I hate to say it, but China, no matter how big it is, is in the top five, and they are our primary competitor." Criticizing the fact that the US is in 40th place despite this, Trump drew attention to the problems in the education system with the words, "So if we are 40th, that really means something is wrong, right?"

"THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT FARMERS' CHILDREN"

Claiming that bureaucrats in Washington do not care about the education of children living in rural areas, Trump said, "So most of the people in Washington DC don't care about the kids in rural areas. They don't care about the farms, the daughters and sons of farmers." Stating that there is a large bureaucracy in the capital, Trump argued that the Department of Education is full of offices but most of the employees do not go to work. Complaining about the inefficiency within the government, he said, "By the way, nobody comes to work. Because they are all working from home, you know, 'they are working from home'. And many of them have second jobs."

Stating that Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is also focusing on this issue, Trump said, "How many of these people are getting paid to work from home but aren't working? Because they have second and even third jobs. You will see many of them, and these people will be fired. Because we have to shrink our government," indicating that a serious cleanup needs to be done in state institutions.

MUSK TO BE GIVEN A TASK

In his previous statements, Trump had announced that he would instruct Elon Musk to launch an investigation into the Department of Education. Drawing attention to potential corruption in the education system, Trump said, "He will find the same thing. Then I will go to the military. Let's check the military. We will find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and abuse. But I built my campaign on this."

This move by the US President has reignited debates over what path will be followed regarding education reforms.

News Source: İHA