President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Wednesday related to school choice, which the White House framed as efforts to curb “radical indoctrination.”

Both the orders hew very close to the edge on what is and is not constitutional. The president should not overstep his constitutionally granted powers. He cannot make policy in these areas. That is up to Congress, and they’ve made no move on school choice.

Neal McCluskey, an education policy expert at the Cato Institute, questioned the legality of these actions, stating in a post on X, “Where does the Constitution give the president authority to create private school choice programs? Nowhere.”

If you would like to speak with a scholar about these orders or other education topics, please contact pr@​cato.​org.