Youngkin talks Virginia impact ahead of Trump’s Dept. of Education executive order

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday to begin a shutdown of the Department of Education, Governor Glenn Youngkin is speaking out about the potential impact for Virginians.

8News asked Youngkin if he was concerned about the recent cuts to the Department of Education affecting Virginia's schools following local and nationwide protests.

"I do believe that the top priority for actions at the federal government are going to be to move responsibility for education from the federal government to the states, and I think that's a positive for us," Youngkin said.

President Trump shares a similar sentiment, but towards dismantling the Department of Education -- stating that the goal is to move power from the federal government to the states, where he said it belongs.

The Department of Education focuses primarily on managing money -- sending billions of dollars a year to schools as well as over a trillion dollars in federal student loans. Colleges and universities are reliant on that money for research grants and federal financial aid for tuition.

For public schools, funds only cover about 14% of its budgets.

Youngkin also spoke with 8News about the impact of department budget cuts as they relate directly to Virginia students and their futures.

"When somebody graduates in Virginia, we want them to be career ready, to go get a job, and to have an opportunity to go get a credential right away that would qualify them for a job right away," Youngkin said. "Or college ready or military ready. And we want Virginia's students to thrive, and so I expect the efforts to shift the responsibility for K-12 education more to the states will really benefit Virginia."

Despite support from certain state leaders, the Department of Education cannot be shut down without Congress voting to do so.