The Department of Education was created by Congress in 1979 to track, manage and coordinate education programs and procedures at the federal level. Trump advisers have said they want to call on Congress to abolish the department, a move that's been floated over the years by Republicans but has always failed to gain widespread support.

U.S. President Donald Trump's stated goal of closing the Department of Education comes after a long Republican-led push to chip away at the agency's funding and influence. Like other U.S. agencies, the Department of Education's budget is determined by Congress,

Closing the agency could cause confusion and headaches for states and schools in the short term, even if their federal funding streams remain intact.