Earlier, #Trump also said that it was up to #MarcoRubio & that his secy of #state “has a lot of big decisions to make” in the wake of the judge’s ruling.

“He’s got the authority to get bad people out of our country, & you can’t stop that w/a judge sitting behind a bench that has no idea what goes on, who happens to be a radical left lunatic.” [acc/to trump any judge who rules against him is a radical left lunatic — seems like there are a lot of those, eh? /s]

Asked on Fri if he would authorize flights that night despite the court order to halt them, #Trump deflected & suggested that it would be up to #MarcoRubio.

“…I’d have the Secy of #State handle it, because I’m not really involved in that,” [bullshit] he said. “But the concept of getting bad people — murderers, rapists, drug dealers, all of the — these are really some bad people — out of our country — I ran on that. I won on that.”

…#Trump’s comment Fri night was in response to questions about a hearing earlier that day on the legality of the #deportations, during which US District Judge #Boasberg asked why the proclamation was “essentially signed in the dark” so that #deportation flights could begin immediately. The WH had announced the proclamation’s signing AFTER preparations to deport 137 Venezuelan migrants had already begun.

The confusion over #Trump’s signature prompted some speculation that perhaps the document was signed using an #autopen, a machine that uses real ink to duplicate a human signature. The #DOJ has said the autopen is a legal way to sign official presidential documents, but Trump has ridiculed the practice as inauthentic [& Trump proclaimed Biden’s pardons were invalid for its use].

#Trump’s signature appears on the digital image of the #AlienEnemiesAct proclamation available for viewing w/the Federal Register, the govt repository of ofcl documents. And WH Comms Dir Steven Cheung said that Trump did personally sign the proclamation.

But rather than say Trump misspoke, Cheung said #Trump’s claim that he “didn’t sign it” was a reference to the #law passed 227 yrs ago…an explanation immediately questioned…given that reporters had specifically asked about the new proclamation.

In a social media post, #HHS Secy #RFKJr said his agency "is fully prepared to take on the responsibility of supporting individuals with special needs."

Not everyone was convinced.

"This is NOT a minor bureaucratic reorganization — it is a fundamental redefinition of how our country treats #children with #disabilities," said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National #Parents Union, which represents >1,800 parent orgs across the country.

In a social media post, Sen #PattyMurray, D-WA, called the potential changes "a clear violation of #education & #appropriations #law."

The Education Dept has a dedicated Office of #SpecialEducation & Rehabilitative Services, &, as w/the federal #StudentLoan portfolio, it's unclear how these collective responsibilities on behalf of #children w/ #disabilities could be moved legally w/o a vote of #Congress.

This appears to be a reference to the federal #law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (#IDEA), which the #Education Dept administers. The law guarantees students w/ #disabilities the right to a #free, appropriate education &, in 2024, sent ~$15B to schools to help pay for #SpecialEducation services. The law also makes clear that it is the secretary of education's responsibility to administer these funds.

…As recently as Thurs, WH press sec Karoline Leavitt had assured reporters that, "when it comes to #StudentLoans & #PellGrants, those will still be run out of the Dept of #Education."

After announcing these potential changes to the federal student loan portfolio, #Trump then said, "Bobby Kennedy, the Health &Human Services [secretary], will be handling special needs," referring to #RFKJr. []

Multiple sources at #FSA who could not speak publicly for fear of #retribution said they were blindsided by the news.

Logistical challenges aside, the role of the office of Federal #Student #Aid as the administrator of the #StudentLoan portfolio is protected by #law. It's not clear how these responsibilities could be #legally moved w/o a vote of #Congress. [not that #Trump cares]

In a statement, #KellyLoeffler said, "As the government's largest guarantor of business loans, the #SBA stands ready to deploy its resources & expertise on behalf of America's #taxpayers & #students."

But those resources are about to take a big hit as well, as the SBA also announced on Friday that it plans to cut its workforce by more than 40%.

[a “break it then say it should be shut down because it’s broken” philosophy]

#Trump said he would move #StudentLoans "out of the Dept of #Education immediately" & that #KellyLoeffler & her staff are "all set for it. They're waiting for it. It'll be serviced much better than it has in the past. It's been a mess."

~8M federal #StudentLoan borrowers are in #legal limbo, not making loan payments, as #Biden-era repayment plans were frozen by a judge for being *potentially* illegal. Borrowers also can't currently enroll in the govt's income-driven repayment plans….

The federal #StudentLoan portfolio — which includes about $1.6T in loans for ~43M borrowers — is currently overseen by the #Education Dept's office of Federal #Student #Aid (#FSA). That office has been gutted by the recent raft of buyouts, early retirements & last week's broad reduction-in-force [#RIF].

It was not clear, based on #Trump's announcement, how or if the remaining employees & expertise at FSA would be transferred to the SBA.