Republican members of Colorado’s congressional delegation mostly cheered President Donald Trump’s executive order Thursday largely dismantling the Department of Education, while the state’s Democratic lawmakers blasted the move as a “wrecking ball” approach to problems in public schools.

“The Department of Education is DONE! Thank you, President Trump!” Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert enthused in a post on X.

Noting that the department’s budget has grown over the years while student proficiency has worsened by some measures, Boebert added: “Our children deserve a REAL education, not the federal mess we have now. Now the money will go back to the states and we’ll get QUALITY education again.”

“We’re gonna shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump said at a signing event at the White House. “It’s doing us no good.”

The order instructs the education secretary “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.”

Trump said that the department, established in 1979, would be pared down to its “core necessities,” preserving responsibility for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants and money for children with disabilities. It was unclear whether the department will continue to manage its $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio.

Democrat Michael Bennet, the state’s senior U.S. senator and a former Denver Public Schools superintendent, said in a statement that parents are “worried enough” about the state of the public education system, citing declining reading scores and increasing absenteeism.

“All of this is proof we need to work together to reimagine our public schools for the 21st century, not bring a wrecking ball to them,” Bennet said. “But the answer was not to tap a former wrestling executive as the nation’s secretary of education. The children who will suffer the most from President Trump and Elon Musk’s outrageous decision are America’s most vulnerable — children living in poverty, children with disabilities and children in rural communities.”

Bennet’s fellow senator, Democrat John Hickenlooper, emphasized in a social media post that Trump can’t “abolish” the department on his own.

“Yes, it’s illegal for Trump to shut down a federal agency without congressional approval. Even his own Secretary of Education knows that,” Hickenlooper said on X above an excerpt of Education Secretary Linda McMahon testifying before a congressional committee.

“It is set up by the United States Congress, and we work with Congress,” McMahon said in the clip Hickenlooper attached. “It clearly cannot be shut down without it.”

In the video, Hickenlooper added: “Maybe you can pass that fact along to whoever’s calling the shots.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, a Colorado Springs Republican serving his first term, said in a statement that he’s been “incredibly vocal” in his support for eliminating the department.

“I applaud President Trump’s decision in returning the power of education decisions to parents and local governments, where it rightfully belongs,” Crank said. “For too long, Washington bureaucrats have been making reckless decisions that have led to lower test scores and poor morale across our nation’s classrooms. Education is essential to success in life and I look forward to working with the president to protect education funding and to support students, not systems.”

U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a freshman Republican from Fort Lupton, told Colorado Politics that Trump’s order will eliminate bureaucracy and let parents make more decisions about their children’s education.

“As a Latino father and an educational choice advocate, I believe that children are our future and a quality education should be our priority for them in the classroom,” Evans said in an emailed statement. “Unfortunately, 60% of kids can’t read at grade level and 70% can’t do math at grade level, showing that change is desperately needed to empower parents, students, and teachers again.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican first elected in November, say in a statement to Colorado Politics that he shares Trump’s concerns “about the failures of federal education policy,” adding that he believes Washington’s “top-down control burdens schools, undermines parental authority and ails students.”

Alone among the state’s Republicans, however, Hurd noted that it’s up to Congress to shut down the department.

“At the same time, the Constitution is clear: Congress creates federal agencies, and only Congress can eliminate them. The President’s executive order directs the Secretary of Education to take steps toward closure—but it cannot, by itself, abolish the department. That requires an act of Congress,” Hurd said.

“If we are serious about fundamentally restructuring the Department and returning power and resources to local school districts, we must do it through legislation that ensures a stable transition and protects critical programs, especially in rural communities like Colorado’s 3rd District. I will work with my colleagues to advance real reforms that stop federal overreach, empower local decision-making, and put students and families first,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat, in a statement called the order “a direct attack “on our kids, our teachers, and the future of public education in this country,” adding that Trump’s move will undermine the department’s mission of “ensuring every student gets a quality education.”

Said DeGette: “For months, I’ve been hearing from parents, teachers, and education advocates across Denver who are terrified of what this could mean for their children’s future. Now, their worst fears are coming true. However, Trump does not have the power to unilaterally eliminate the Department of Education simply because his billionaire pal Elon Musk recommends it. He needs Congress to sign off — and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that never happens.”

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Lakewood Democrat, sounded a similarly defiant note in an online post.

“I’m where I am today because I had access to great public schools and teachers who gave me the opportunity to build a better life. Now, Trump is ripping that opportunity away from thousands of kids,” Pettersen said on X. “When public education is attacked, every student feels it. He’s taking books, teachers, and resources from our schools — to fund tax breaks for billionaires. We won’t let this stand.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.