Shutting down a department: US President Donald Trump held up an executive order (行政命令) after signing it in Washington, DC, on March 20. According to AP, the order aims to start dismantling (废除) the Department of Education while keeping some core functions, such as funding for children with disabilities. The order states that the Secretary of Education will take all necessary steps to return authority to states and local communities. The White House said it wanted to shut down the department because it had failed to improve education results despite billions in taxpayer spending. US students still struggle with low reading and math scores, amid criticism that the department’s bureaucracy (官僚体制) is inefficient.