Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said President Trump told students “he doesn’t give a damn about them” with a recent move against the Department of Education.

“Today, Donald Trump and the corrupt billionaire he installed as Education Secretary told 50 million public school students across America that he doesn’t give a damn about them. We should be investing in kids instead of billionaires,” a statement from Martin in a Thursday DNC release obtained by The Hill’s sister network NewsNation reads. 

On Thursday, the president signed an executive order looking to facilitate his goal of getting rid of the Department of Education. The order recognizes that it would take congressional action to completely close down the department, but Trump ordered Education Secretary Linda McMahon to do all she can to result in its abolition.

“Today, we take a very historic action that was 45 years in the making,” Trump said during a White House signing ceremony Thursday. “I will sign an executive order to begin eliminating the federal Department of Education.”

“The department’s useful functions … will be preserved, fully preserved,” the president added in reference to Pell Grants, Title I funding and programs for students with disabilities. “They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments. But beyond these core necessities, my administration will take all lawful steps to shut down the department. We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible.”

In the last few months, the Trump administration has moved to drastically reshape the federal government, causing dramatic change at agencies and departments across the government.

“If you’re a public school student, a working family, or a parent whose child is on an [Individual Education Program (IEP)], Trump is directly attacking you. And from Appalachia to the rural South, his own voters will suffer,” read the statement from Martin.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and the Department of Education for comment.