House Democrats are demanding greater transparency from President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon regarding their plans for dismantling the Department of Education.

Led by Rep. Bobby Scott, ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the group introduced a resolution of inquiry on Friday, requesting all documents related to the department’s closure, including legal memos, emails and communications related to the reductions in force. They hope to gain a better understanding of how the Trump administration’s actions could affect the department’s ability to fulfill its legal responsibilities.   

The committee is led by a Republican majority, but the resolution has privileged status, meaning that if the chair, Rep. Tim Walberg, does not act within 14 legislative days, the vote could bypass a traditional committee hearing and go straight to the House floor. 

It’s a measure that would ensure “Congress does not let this overreach go unchecked,” the Democrats said in a news release.

If the resolution passes the House and Senate—both of which are led by the GOP—the Trump administration would have 14 days to respond.

The resolution was made less than 24 hours after the president signed a long-anticipated executive order directing McMahon to close the department “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” On Friday, the president said the process would include moving the department’s $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and transferring oversight of laws protecting students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services.

But the Department of Education cannot be fully abolished by Trump alone; it requires congressional approval. Programs the department oversees, such as student loans and protections for students with disabilities, are also written into statute, which raises questions about whether Trump’s Friday announcement is even legal. 

“Abolishing a federal agency requires an Act of Congress,” Scott said in the release. “President Trump’s executive order has little regard for the irreparable harm it will cause to students, educators, our future workforce, and parents, who are already struggling.”