Education Secretary Linda McMahon stepped out of the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to offer her own remarks as Democratic lawmakers were airing their grievances regarding the Trump administration with reporters.

The meeting between McMahon and about a dozen Democratic members of the House of Representatives comes weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to weaken the Education Department. While its employees are laid off and the funds are transferred to states, the president made it clear that the department will still handle “Pell Grants, Title I funding, [and] resources for children with disabilities and special needs.”

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“They do not have a plan. So they are de facto restructuring this entity along a corporate model without a plan and without an effort to really protect our students, so we want to be clear about that,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-MN) said Wednesday.

At the same time, McMahon and a small team exited the building behind the staged press conference to the backs of the lawmakers addressing reporters. As a result, Stansbury changed her tone.

“I wanna say one other thing: the mood in the room, it was very collegial. We are extraordinarily grateful to the secretary that she joined us,” Stansbury said. “We’re extraordinarily grateful that the secretary gave us the space to have these conversations. But with all due respect, Madam, I think my biggest concern is that the states will not be able to protect the programs and services that you would like to develop with them.”

“I just wanna express my gratitude to all of these folks who came today so that we could have an open discussion about what I believe is one of the important things that we can have a discussion on and action on in our country, and that is the education of our young people,” McMahon said. “I believe, and I know the president does believe this as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child, where teachers and parents, local superintendents working together with local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students, is the best way that it can happen.”

Stansbury was joined by Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Greg Casar (D-TX), Don Beyer (D-VA), Sarah Elfreth (D-NJ), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Gwen Moore (D-WI) Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX). McMahon said she agreed with Takano, who said during the meeting that education is “not a partisan issue.”

At that moment, Takano moved to stand closer to McMahon. As she was wrapping up her remarks and implied to reporters she would not be taking questions, he interrupted to ask when the headquarters, the building behind them, would be closed down.

“We’ve had our discussions already,” McMahon said. Then the secretary left to let the members continue their news conference.

RETURNING EDUCATION TO STATES MEANS ‘FEWER STRINGS, REGULATIONS, RED TAPE’: MCMAHON

Of its initial 4,133 staff, 259 accepted a deferred resignation package, 313 accepted a $25,000 separation payment, and 63 probationary employees were let go last month. In addition, 1,315 more people will soon be laid off, leaving a little more than half the original workforce at 2,183.

The Department of Education was created by late President Jimmy Carter 45 years ago.