BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Some conservatives have wanted to abolish the U.S. Department of Education since its inception in 1979.
Now, President Donald Trump is trying to make that a reality. Earlier this month, he signed an executive order calling for the department to be dismantled.
This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell is joined by political scientist Chris Borick to talk about the department, its standing in American politics and its future.
The Education Department makes up about 2% of federal spending, Shortell said, employing about 4,200 people — or a little less than the combined size of Lehigh and Northampton County governments.
Borick said for Republicans, education "has traditionally been the bastion of state and local governments."
They've long felt the federal government shouldn't be involved, Borick said, noting the "ideological battle has raged for the last 45 years or so."
"Republicans from Trump on back have often said we don't need this department, we don't need its role," Borick said.
"But as you start to get into programs and you start to look at what the Department of Education does just beyond the number of employees, where it provides resources, it becomes a much more complex situation," he said.
If the department disappears, how much would Lehigh Valley schools feels its absence? Can Trump legally eliminate the department on his own?
Get answers to those questions and more on this week's Political Pulse by watching the video above.
