() Democratic members of Congress were denied entry into the Department of Education on Friday morning.

The doors were locked and a security guard could be seen having a tense conversation with a lawmaker.

“They are blocking members of Congress from entering the Department of Education! Elon is allowed in and not the people? ILLEGAL,” Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., wrote on X. In another post, he said armed federal officers were called to the scene.

“We aren’t dangerous,” Frost wrote. “We are here to represent our people. To defend public education. This is an authoritarian regime.”

The incident happened as Trump reportedly considered using an executive order to abolish the department, an issue he campaigned on during the 2024 election.

“We’re ranked number one in cost per pupil, so we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, and we’re ranked at the bottom of the list,” Trump has previously said. “We’re ranked very badly. And what I want to do is let the states run schools.”

Shutting down the Department of Education would require an act of Congress. The department administers funding for K-12 schools that is appropriated by Congress; provides oversight for schools; administers student loans and grants; and can also create federal rules.

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.

digital producer Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.