Newsom blasts Trump's order gutting Education Department: 'This overreach needs to be rejected'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is blasting President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department.

"This overreach needs to be rejected immediately by a co-equal branch of government. Or was Congress eliminated by this executive order, too?" the governor said in a statement.

The Trump administration says it's hoping to return education authority to individual states, arguing this will help students in the long run.

However, critics argue this move will gut public education funding. The superintendent for the nation's second largest public school system says there is a lot at risk.

"If there were to be any reduction in funding, a child with disabilities, a child who may be on the spectrum, could lose their paraprofessional, their teacher aid," Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. "There could be reductions for after school tutorial programs in math and reading for struggling kids in poverty, kids who may be experiencing homelessness could be deprived of direct assistance."

Despite Trump's order to "eliminate" the department, the White House has said the department will not totally shut down and instead will be greatly downsized.

The president says certain functions would be transferred to other departments.

Dismantling the Department of Education is most likely impossible without an act of Congress. Republicans have said they will introduce a bill to achieve that.