President Donald Trump is preparing to gut the U.S. Education Department to the full extent of his power, directing his administration to slash spending while pressuring employees to quit. Yet his promise to close the department is colliding with another reality: Most of its spending — and its very existence — is ordered by

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would like to close the U.S. Department of Education using an executive order but acknowledged he would need buy-ins from Congress and teachers' unions to fulfill his campaign pledge to do so.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his preference to dismantle the Department of Education during his second-term, but indicated he preferred to build consensus around the idea rather than attempt the maneuver through executive fiat.