Secretary McMahon vows to make education 'better' for students so they won't be held 'prisoner' in schools

President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited executive order Thursday at the White House to begin dismantling the Department of Education, capping a campaign promise and setting up a congressional showdown.

Trump repeatedly vowed on the 2024 campaign trail to shut down the federal agency and give school power back to the states. The Education Department, however, was created by Congress in 1979 and cannot be unilaterally shuttered by executive action. It can only officially be dismantled by an act of Congress.

Republicans maintain slim majorities in both the House and Senate. Soon after Trump signed the executive order in the East Room, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced in a post on X that he would submit legislation to accomplish the president’s goal. 

US President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon acknowledged the agency will face some hurdles in the months ahead but promised to work with Congress to get the job done.

"We've spent almost $3 trillion. We've seen our scores continue to decline. We're doing something wrong. We need to change," she said in an interview Thursday on "Special Report."

"I want Congress to be a partner in this, and I believe they will be because both sides of the aisle know that what is happening to education in our country cannot be allowed to stand because we are failing our students."

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Data from the National Assessment of Education Progress, commonly known as the Nation’s Report Card, shows math proficiency at 39% for 4th graders and 28% for 8th graders. Reading proficiency isn’t much better, at 31% and 30% respectively.

Democratic lawmakers released statements shortly after Trump’s executive order signing, condemning his decision. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the move will only hurt students. "This horrible decision by Donald Trump will be felt by teachers, parents, school leaders, and in the quality of education our children receive. Across the country property taxes will go up, while the quality of many schools will go down," he said.

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McMahon told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that the Trump administration wants students to improve and have more opportunities.

"We want to make education better for children. The president is an absolute proponent of school choice, and we are going to work very hard to make sure that children are not held prisoner in failing schools," she said. 

"I do think returning to basics is the best way to do it. We need to teach math and English and literacy and writing. We don't need to teach ideology. We have to let teachers teach."

The former WWE CEO added that she’s begun traveling across the country, meeting with governors to understand what they need moving forward to improve the education systems in their states.

Morning sun lights the front of the Department of Education building, amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will take steps to defund the federal Education Department, in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

"What kind of plans for best practices can we make available to you so that you can see what other states have done and done successfully? And that's going to be the goal. Let's make sure that we are providing as much information to our states as we can so that we can get the best outcomes," McMahon explained.

She acknowledged she could soon be out of a job if the Education Department is gutted, but said in the meantime, she wants students to be taken care of. 

Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.