In early February, as Donald Trump’s second term was just getting underway, The Washington Post reported that the president was preparing an executive order aimed at “eventually” closing the Department of Education. But in the short term, the report added, the Republican and his team were focused on “dismantling it from within.”

Five weeks later, that’s precisely what’s happening. NBC News reported:

The Education Department announced a drastic reduction in its workforce Tuesday, saying it’s set to cut about half of its staff. About 1,300 career employees will receive termination notices and will be given an opportunity to return to offices to turn in government property and clean out their desks Wednesday, the Department of Education said in a news release. Another 600 people previously accepted voluntarily resignations or early retirement.

Shortly after announcing the layoffs, Education Secretary Linda McMahon — a former wrestling company executive and failed Senate candidate with no background in education — appeared on Fox News to assure the public that she and her team kept the “good people” at the agency.

Sorry, 1,300 career employees who just learned that you’re being fired without cause. The administration has decided that you’re just not “good” enough.

The announcement was dramatic, but it was not surprising. Shortly after being sworn in as a Cabinet secretary, McMahon sent an email to her agency’s staff. The title on the message was unsubtle: “Our Department’s Final Mission.”

A few days later, McMahon was asked on Fox News whether the country needs her department. “No,” she replied, “we don’t.”

There’s ample evidence to the contrary. At the federal level, the Department of Education is responsible for everything from overseeing a massive federal student loan program to administering grants, collecting key data used in policymaking to enforcing civil rights laws.

Those responsibilities haven’t changed, though the federal agency will now be expected to tackle the duties with a slashed workforce.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement, “Ultimately, what they want to do is clear: fire the people who help our kids and gut funding for our students, teachers, and schools. This is about breaking government for working families — and enriching billionaires like themselves in the process.”

But as the GOP campaign against the Department of Education continues, it’s also worth emphasizing the simple fact that there’s no great public demand for such radicalism.

On the contrary, a Washington Post analysis last week noted that while there hasn’t been a lot of recent public opinion research on the issue, “virtually all of the polling … suggests this is not what the American people want. Indeed, it appears to be among the more unpopular things Trump has pushed for.”

Evidently, the Republican administration just doesn’t care.