President Donald Trump could decide this week to take the first steps to eliminate the Department of Education, people familiar with the matter said, as he looks to dramatically shrink the size of the federal government.White House officials have prepared an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of dismantling the department, the sources said. Trump could sign the document as early as Thursday, but plans had not yet been finalized.Trump has long signaled his intention to close the department, but fully eliminating it will require Congress to act, McMahon said during confirmation hearings earlier this year. She was confirmed Monday.CNN previously reported the administration was drafting an order to launch the process of closing the Department of Education. Trump also plans to push for Congress to pass legislation to end the department.The draft order directs McMahon to 맥스카지노�take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department맥스카지노� while operating to the 맥스카지노�the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars맥스카지노�and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support맥스카지노�has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,맥스카지노� the draft order reads.While calls to abolish the Education Department or merge it with another federal agency are not new, the move has historically failed to get support from Congress.On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly pointed to the department as a sign of federal overreach and tied it to culture war issues. 맥스카지노�We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America맥스카지노�s youth with all sorts of things that you don맥스카지노�t want to have our youth hearing,맥스카지노� he said.맥스카지노�I told Linda (McMahon), 맥스카지노�Linda, I hope you do a great job in putting yourself out of a job.맥스카지노� I want her to put herself out of a job 맥스카지노� Education Department,맥스카지노� Trump said last month.Even if Trump succeeded in ending the department, it맥스카지노�s possible some programs and funding could be retained and shifted to other agencies, which is where they were housed before the department was created in 1979.Federal funding programs for K-12 schools that help support the education of students from low-income families and children with disabilities, for example, predated the creation of the Department of Education.맥스카지노�Final mission맥스카지노�Hours after being confirmed, McMahon sent a message to her staff titled 맥스카지노�Our Department맥스카지노�s Final Mission,맥스카지노� in which she invited employees to 맥스카지노�join us in this historic final mission on behalf of all students.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students,맥스카지노� she said. 맥스카지노�I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete, we will all be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.맥스카지노�Calling a review of the department맥스카지노�s programs 맥스카지노�long overdue,맥스카지노� McMahon said she agrees with Trump맥스카지노�s vision to give states oversight of education and empower parents to make educational choices for their children.But she warned that these actions will 맥스카지노�profoundly impact staff, budgets, and agency operations here at the Department.맥스카지노�