Without control of Congress, Reagan could not even strangle the newly established Department of Education in its crib. So Reagan relied on executive orders and personnel changes to reform the system, and the resulting changes were ephemeral. This program had been put in place by presidential executive orders in the 1960s and could have ended “with the stroke of a pen” by Reagan. But executive orders last only as long as the executives who issue them. If Mr. Trump wants to succeed where Reagan failed, his most important choice will be to fill the Supreme Court seat held by the late Justice Scalia.

Source: Forbes January 17, 2017 18:29 UTC