President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aiming to limit operations within the Department of Education, an action that falls under one of his campaign promises of closing the agency.

The executive order states closing the department would “drastically improve” the implementation of programs in higher education. Although the order does not state which programs or staff positions will remain active, Trump said during the announcement that federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to undergraduate students with significant financial need, will be “fully preserved.” The complete closure of the agency cannot occur without Congressional approval.

“We’re going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs,” Trump said in an announcement at the White House. “This is a very popular thing to do, but much more importantly, it’s a common sense thing to do.”

Established in 1979, the Department of Education “administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education,” according to the agency’s website. It also oversees Federal Student Aid in higher education and ensures “equal educational opportunity” for all students regardless of race, gender or disability in federally funded educational institutions. The executive order tasks the secretary of education to “take all necessary steps” to close the department.

“Taxpayers will no longer be burdened with tens of billions of dollars of waste on progressive social experiments and obsolete programs,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a news release. “K-12 and college students will be relieved of the drudgery caused by administrative burdens — and positioned to achieve success in a future career they love.”