Trump signs order to dismantle US Department of Education

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday to dismantle the Department of Education, the latest federal agency that he has sought to eliminate as he seeks to fulfill a long-term goal of some conservative groups.

"We're going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs. And this is a popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it's a common sense thing to do, and it's going to work. Absolutely, it's going to work," he said during a White House ceremony.

"People have wanted to do this for many, many years, for many, many decades, and I don't know, no president ever got around to doing it, but I'm getting around to doing it," he added.