Illinois Democrats condemn Trump's executive order to dismantle Department of Education

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday afternoon calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education.

Democrats in Illinois are decrying the move, saying it will hurt students across the state.

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Democrats are in the difficult position of not being able to do much to stop the Trump administration on the education issue, but they call this a bad move and are promising to do what they can to fight it.

The dismantling of the Department of Education is now formally underway.

President Trump made it official when he signed an executive order cutting the number of DOE employees in half, but preserving critical programs.

"If you look at the Pell Grants, supposed to be very good program, Title One, funding and resources for children with special disabilities and special needs," Trump said. "They're going to be preserved in full."

READ MORE | Trump orders a plan to dismantle the Education Department while keeping some core functions

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, at an event to raise concerns about potential cuts to social security services, blasted Trump over Thursday's announcement.

"Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Republicans in Congress are taking a chainsaw to health care and education and veterans services and infrastructure right now," Pritzker said.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood called on people to act to sway votes.

"And so I know that people here in Illinois... are deeply concerned about these threats, these cuts, this executive order, and I'm asking for your help and just picking any three House Republicans and giving them a call," Underwood said.

Earlier Thursday during an event at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, area pantry leaders expressed their concerns to Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who also worried about the impact of Trump's actions Thursday.

"We hurt businesses, we hurt communities, we hurt the economy, and then we send the wrong message to the rest of the world and Americans about our priorities," Krishnamoorthi said. "We should be investing in education. We should be investing in our competitiveness."

Governor Pritzker said he will have to wait and see how the cuts to the department of education will impact Illinois, and it all could hinge on what Congress does with Trump's executive order.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following statement Thursday:

"President Trump's executive order is no more legal than his other actions intended to dismantle the Department of Education. Decimating the department's workforce, then signing today's executive order while simultaneously directing the continuation of critical programs and services is ludicrous.

"States, including Illinois, are already feeling the impact of the Trump administration's actions. On March 11, all staff in a Chicago branch of the department's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) were laid off, completely closing the office. For decades, the OCR has protected American students' civil rights - from ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to classrooms, to protecting students from discrimination and harassment. Students who could previously rely on the OCR to address potential violations of their civil rights must now go to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), which is already experiencing a higher call volume for such disputes. Yet ISBE has neither the funding nor the equipment to resolve them.

"Furthermore, millions of students count on the Department of Education to promptly process requests for student aid as they finalize their postsecondary plans. Enrollment deadlines for Illinois' public community colleges and universities approach in a few short weeks, and the turmoil caused by the administration's actions jeopardizes the futures of tens of thousands of Illinois students who depend upon the prompt processing of FAFSAs to finalize their plans.

"The Trump administration's actions are unlawful, unconstitutional and most negatively impact students who have the most need for the Department of Education's programs and services. I am firmly committed to continuing to fight for all students, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or ability, to have access to quality educations and the opportunity it affords."