WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - President Donald Trump said he wants to abolish the Department of Education, and Republican lawmakers say, for the most part, they agree.  The department has a $241 billion budget and more than 4,000 employees.  "Let the state run education," President Trump said at a rally on Sunday.  Republican lawmakers fought the last Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, over masks in school and diversity policies. The Department of Education also expanded the definition of Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students, a judge later blocked that rule.  President Trump said states are better suited to handle education funding.  "If you do a great job, you will put yourself out of a job because you're going to be sending it back to the states," President Trump told his nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon.  Abolishing the Department of Education would require an act of Congress. Republicans and Democrats on the Capitol Hill don't think they'll have the votes to get it done.  "At the very least, we're going to de-power the Department of Education in any area we can," said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce.  Walberg said that includes moving authority to other agencies, or the states.  "Why are you doing this?" Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) asked. "It's not about actually improving education. It's not about making America strong. It's actually about taking away fundamental rights."  Rep. Stansbury said abolishing the Department of Education would hurt vulnerable students. The Department of Education enforces laws protecting students with disabilities. Federal statistics show that includes about 7.5 million students, 1 in 7 in public schools.