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

If Republican lawmakers in Congress execute Trump’s promises to slash the federal budget and cut spending on education, states and districts could be forced to dedicate a larger share of their finite budgets to the costs of serving students with disabilities, at the expense of other crucial priorities.

Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at shrinking the department as he looks to fulfill his campaign promise to shut it down.