Several dozen congressional Democrats unsuccessfully tried to enter the Education Department Friday, their latest effort to visit agencies the Trump administration has targeted for massive spending cuts.

Rep. Mark Takano of California told Axios that “roughly 30 or 40 members of Congress went to the Department of Education” with the intent of “letting acting Secretary Denise Carter know that we intended to meet with her” about the Trump administration’s threat to close the agency.

“We then proceeded to enter the Department of Education and we were locked out,” Mr. Takano told the media outlet.

“The protest was organized by members of Congress who were exercising their First Amendment rights, which they are at liberty to do,” the Education Department said in an early afternoon statement to The Washington Times. “They did not have any scheduled appointments, and the protest has since ended.”

Congressional Democrats staged three similar unscheduled protests earlier in the week, walking to the U.S. Agency for International Development on Monday, the Treasury Department on Tuesday and the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday.

Led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, the president’s new Department of Government Efficiency has taken steps to shutter or gut each of the four agencies. The White House says that cuts at the agencies could save taxpayers billions of dollars.

Friday’s protest came amid reports that the Trump administration has prepared an executive order to close the Education Department or strip down its budget to its most basic functions.

Mr. Trump is not expected to sign the order until the Senate confirms Linda McMahon, his nominee to lead the Education Department. Ms. McMahon is scheduled to appear for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday morning.

• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.